BETTER THAN HEARSAY - Not Exactly Mudville

WINDHAM - “This is not a protest,” said Jonathan Gross, a member of the movement calling itself “Preserve the Windham Path.”

“This is not a demonstration,” Gross said. “This is a serene, peaceful walk to celebrate what the Windham Path means to us.”

Whatever way the walk was identified, 60 or so people were at the Path,  last Sunday evening, some carrying signs typically seen at a rally.

The signs and posters were calling for the town council not to build two little league fields at the Windham Path, an issue becoming a rising storm. 

Sunday evening’s walk took place 72 hours after a larger than normal crowd showed up for a May 23 town council meeting.

There was a mix of people at that council session, opposed to and favoring the little league fields at the Path, including a few little leaguers.

It was the second such get together this month. The same meeting room was overflowing with folks on May 9, speaking out almost exclusively against the project which is in the early planning stages.

A petition was handed over to the town council on behalf of “Friends of the Windham Path” containing over 1,100 signatures, though many of the names were from out of town and beyond.

Several of the same faces were present for the two council meetings and for the walk at the Windham Path, which was serene and peaceful.

But there is nothing serene and peaceful about the lines being drawn between the town council and Preserve the Windham Path.

And no matter how it gets worded, town supervisor Thomas Hoyt is getting singled out as the guy responsible for all the furor.

There are five members on the town council. Approval to move ahead with the little league fields came after a vote by them which was unanimous.

Just saying.

It would be sweet music to hear the rest of the council members make that known to local taxpayers so maybe the political overtones and underbelly starting to rear their ugly little heads might dissipate like mountain mist.

Be that as it may, Preserve the Windham Path wants the little league fields built elsewhere, believing their presence will ruin a rare gem.

“This is not just a walking path,” local resident Lori Torgersen said, addressing the walkers in the minutes before they set out.

Torgersen, and principally her life partner Nick Bove, were the visionaries behind the creation of the Windham Path, christened in 2013.

“There is something magical here,” Torgersen continued. “It is important to the viability of our community. The sounds of the Windham Path are the sounds of nature.

“These spaces, with their open view shed, don’t exist everywhere. We want to solve the challenges the little league is facing. We demand of local officials that they solve them differently,” Torgersen said.

The current little league field, along South Street, is facing the problem of shrinking available parking. Landowners who have traditionally allowed parking are utilizing their properties for business opportunities.

Little league president, John Garzone, speaking at the May 9 meeting, said the site, which has been home to generations of kids, is no longer safe.

Government leaders initially introduced the plan back in February, saying that all options have been delved into and rejected for various and valid reasons, emphasizing they likewise treasure the Windham Path.

They also point out that the 70 or so acres of land upon which the Path is set was purchased by the town to protect the easternmost entry to the community, not ruling out recreational development.

Jonathan Gross, prior to heading out on the walk, acknowledged that Preserve the Windham Path doesn’t have an alternative plan.

“I’m not saying we know the solution,” Gross said. “But we know a lot of smart people and we should at least all be working together.

“We are taxpayers. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to do something for the little league. We want to be part of the conversation. We’re offering an olive branch to Tom Hoyt.”

Passionate opinions are also being voiced in support of the little league fields. Hoyt says he has reached out to people connected with a local foundation, seeking financing and getting positive input.

Nothing is expected to happen until next spring, at the soonest. Meanwhile, there was a lone visible backer at the walk, the other night.

Sherry Wack, a resident of the hamlet of Maplecrest, stayed mostly sitting in her car in a far corner of the Path parking lot with a sign on the windshield stating, “Let the Kids Play.”

This ain’t Mudville with the Mighty Casey going down on strikes that poetic night. Baseball is being played in Windham but is there joy in sight?