Conservation

The Waltham Field Station property should remain as agricultural and/or open space/ park land. Cornelia Warren intended her donated land to remain as such. I strongly oppose any attempt to put a massive office park or development on the property. State institutions, such as UMass, are exempt from local zoning laws even though the field station is zoned as conservation and recreation. Without further detail on the field station’s status, the city will need to work closely with Waltham’s State Representatives and Senator to work on a final plan for the site.

The field station property is an integral part of the Western Greenway and must be included in any plan for the site. Excluding the Western Greenway is non-negotiable. The Waltham Land Trust and other tenants should have an opportunity to continue their work at the site as long as it fits in with the agricultural/ open space concept. I’m more familiar with Green Rows of Waltham (GROW) than some of the other tenants as I used to help friends and family with their garden plots. Waltham Fields Community Farm is an incredibly inspirational group. Seeing volunteers harvest and stack vegetables at the end of growing season is great to witness. Their volunteerism is one of the purest forms of community service. One report stated they donated over 20 tons of food. Along with 4H and all the other tenants, these are organizations we need to keep in Waltham.

So, how do we keep the land as agricultural or open space? If Waltham has to purchase the land, Community Preservation Act (CPA) money could be used. And I suggest the community be open-minded about other open space/energy conservation type uses. For example, why not incorporate green technologies and/or experimentation alongside the farms? A mini solar farm powering a portion of a field house is consistent with the lands intended use. Maybe there’s a recreational portion in addition to the Western Greenway that doesn’t impede with farming. The overall theme of the Waltham Field station property has been educational. Let’s have Waltham develop a 21^st century agricultural/ open space park the rest of the state can envy!