Olde Towne Crier February 2011

Park

A committee has been formed to explore the possibility of transferring ownership and control of the Olde Towne park to the Town of Belville. Please read the back of this Crier where we have outlined some of the points we feel are pertinent to the discussion. If you would like to participate in the discussion, please contact Stuart Smith by email or mail or attend the next OTCA meeting.

Olde Towne Drainage


Removing the dirt from the park has been delayed due to the bad weather. We expect this project will be completed in the next few weeks

Annual Meeting

The annual meeting of the OTCA will be held on April 30th in our Olde Towne Park. We will be electing a new slate of officers. If you are interested in serving on the Olde Towne Community Association executive committee, please contact Stuart Smith, or attend our next meeting.

Next Meeting

The next OTCA meeting will be at the Fitzpatrick home, 10159 S. Olde Towne Wynd on March 9th, at 7 p.m. We will be discussing the OTCA park. Your opinion is important – we encourage everyone to attend.

Easter Party

If you are interested in helping with the children’s Easter party, please contact Stuart Smith. Stuart will be contacting the ladies that helped with the Christmas party.

Contribute to OTCA

Have you paid your dues for 2010? OTCA dues are $24.

Belville Meetings

Mayor Jack Batson attended our last meeting. He wanted to encourage all residents to attend the Town of Belville meetings. If you contact the town you can be put on the email list so that you receive a notice of all meetings and a copy of the agendas. 371-2456.

Drainage Ditches

Just a reminder to all residents. If you have a drainage ditch on your property, you are responsible for cleaning out the ditch periodically. The OTCA will be responsible for maintaining the ditch in the park.

Park Transfer Considerations

Introduction
Because of the difficulty of getting help maintaining the OT park we have formed a committee to evaluate the pros and cons of transferring the park to the Town of Belville.

Committee Members:
Patricia Ashburner Jack Batson Doug Fitzpatrick Clare Heinz Stuart Smith

Background

Park is about 2.8 acres (not all of it is cleared)
Owned and maintained by the OTCA members.
Park has swings, shelter children’s play set, picnic tables
OTCA has no liability insurance for park.

Path Forward

Get input from all residents of Olde Towne:
- Why we should or should not transfer park to Belville
- Do we want/need to attach conditions to transfer of the park to Belville

How do we make the decision?
- Input from the neighborhood.
- Input from theTown of Belville.
- Vote of members of Olde Towne Community Association

Points of Discussion

Possible Benefits of transferring park

Park would be maintained by the town.
Belville more resources to improve park: possibly add water, restroom, electricity, sports facilities, add walking trails/nature paths, etc. Improve security, restrict access.
Enhance property values?

Possible Negatives for transferring park

Loss of control, maybe loss of use.
Increased use by nonresidents.
More noise, less privacy for residents surrounding park.
No burn pile

Additional thoughts on use of park
What kind of park to we want it to be?
Arts/crafts center, Nature Park, Walking Path, Sports activities, Wildlife Refuge, Place for small music events, place for meditation?


***This is an important decision concerning our neighborhood. If you would like to be a part of the discussion and decision making process, please attend our next meeting. If you are unable to attend, please mail or email your thoughts and concerns to Stuart.***