Rick Jaffe was trained as a management consultant and a software engineer. After attending last week’s Parks Master Plan public workshop, he sent this letter to Westport Parks & Recreation Department director Erik Barbieri:
Last night’s Public Workshop showed me a critical flaw in our town’s Parks Master Plan process: We are trying to solve a problem without first having determined what that problem is.
We are building a 10-year Parks Master Plan for enhancing our town’s parks offerings without first having figured out what park-related resources we as a community need.
When I was a member of our town’s Representative Town Meeting, I tried to interest your predecessor to spearhead a ‘Needs Assessment’ to figure out what parks resources would best fit our community’s needs, and compare that to what our town currently offers.
Then we could build a long-term plan that would include evaluating our current parks resources, and identifying opportunities for change and improvement to come closer to the ideal of providing the best possible parks for our community.
When we put the cart before the horse as we are doing now, solving the Parks Master Plan process without first knowing what we want the Master Plan to lead to, we make mistakes in identifying what to do and what not to do, and with what priority.
The result will be a less-than-optimal plan and, eventually, less than optimal parks resources available to our community. Without the Needs study, we may miss important issues. A community suggestion coming from your Public Workshops can easily be overlooked, or recognized but prioritized too low, for want of support from actual data.
Here are two examples. An outdoor fitness center, or a network of outdoor fitness centers, is so valued by communities that recently AARP funded this one, and installed one in 53 US states and territories.
Outdoor fitness center. (Photo/Dan Foard, Videophotog Productions)
(FitLot’s inventor lives so close to us that they could be here to talk about it in minutes if we ask).
And what about a splash pad for kids? Other communities love them. From my personal observation (admittedly short on hard data), splash pads provide significant squeals of delight per square foot.
Splash pad.
There are communities out there that engage in the process of getting various user groups, like teenagers, to design their own parks, thereby maximizing the chance that those user groups will benefit.
Without a Needs Assessment the planning process is guided by feel, lucky guesses and experience.
Our town is unique and has unique needs, ones that require real community input to identify needs along with resources that are already in place that can be leveraged to better fit the lifestyles of our community members.
This is our chance to revamp the parks resources in Westport in a way that will not require a Master Plan re-do down the line because the actual needs and wants of the Westport community – as identified by the members themselves – were not addressed.
We can fix this, but we have to do it now, before the cart is cast in cement before the horse.
(“06880″‘s Opinion pages are open to all. Email submissions to 06880blog@gmail.com. To support this hyper-local blog with a tax-deductible contribution, please click here.)
Of course, this letter is exactly what the Parks and Recreation head needs to use as a guide going forward. And, of course, the chances of him doing so are oh so slim.
Mr. Jaffe’s comments are learned and spot on. But of course, the ‘powers that be’ will probably not take any notice.
Awesome, exactly what needs to be done And of course should include a community garden.
Thank you for this thoughtful piece and request for a data backed approach to determining town needs. I agree and have shared similar sentiment on this and other town topics as an RTM member. Whether we are discussing parks or facilities or schools or transportation, we unfortunately often miss a step to look holistically at priorities and needs, and it can lead us to expensive decisions that may not serve the town as well as they could.
My name is Jill Grayson. I hope I will join you as an RTM member for district 8 after the election. I am very interested in this and want to join the Recreation Committee. Look forward to meeting with you.
This will be fun to watch.
My friend Rick Jaffe is “spot on”. Thank you for the thoughtful letter and the suggestions. Ken Bernhard
Hi Ken, Rob Reeves here. I went to Springfield College with a classmate named Rick Jaffe, first name Frederick. Do you know if he’s the same person you had there? He would be around 68 years old. Might just be a coincidence, but thought I’d ask. Thanks.
A pity you did not look for the very same for downtown parking ! And Parker Harding.
Like really !
How utterly aggravating.
I sent a copy of my Parks & Rec letter to “06880” hoping to stimulate a public discussion, after my initial effort to start a private discussion with Parks & Rec and the Town did not work. I appreciate the community input.
Thank you, Rick. I think teenagers in particular should asked. What would motivate them to want to be outside? What are their needs today vs even 5 years ago? Your suggestions are wonderful.
Couldn’t agree more. In fact, its surprising to learn that a NA isn’t required and that plans are being put in place to build anything to serve residents without first understanding what they need. A needs analysis is a pretty basic requirement for creating and improving public spaces. This is always true but is especially true now since the make-up of residents has changed quite a bit since Covid. Good letter.
Perhaps others would agree that with only the current too-narrow thought process, our community would be without Longshore, without a beach playground, and without pickleball courts.
Rick Jaffe’s opinion piece is excellent. The parks department gas put the cart in front of the horse. It is just plain common sense to define the community’s needs and then assess and address them. This approach should be the model for all civic projects.
Of course Mr. Jaffe is correct – and he’s merely repeating what has been said directly to our Parks and Recreation Commission.
On January 23, 2025 I presented the PRC (and RTM) a comprehensive analysis of the current PRC’s 2024 milk-toast agendas, lack of substantive accomplishments, and its failure to develop a publicly endorsed list of goals, objectives, and timetable by which to be accountable. Without having this fundamental necessity, the PRC has remained virtually rudderless, stagnant and reactionary.
For example: Consider that way back on February 24, 2016 this occurred:
RESOLVED: The Parks & Recreation Commission approves the request to the Board of Finance to approve an appropriation in the amount of $75,000.00 to be used for the DESIGN of the Baron’s South property AND THE IMPLEMENTAION of the subsequent plan. Aris Land Design was contracted, and in 2017 a design for the rehabilitation of Baron’s South was created – but of course the design was never implemented by the PRC, and despite multiple pleas to put this back onto their agenda, 9 years later Baron’s South remains an embarrassing deteriorating waste.
For example: On multiple occasions over the last two years the PRC was requested to inventory our athletic field utilization and provide a comprehensive needs assessment for public discussion. This has yet to be developed.
For example: In the past I’d proposed installing outdoor fitness equipment at Compo Beach and at the Senior Center. On July 11, 2023 examples of the Greenfields Outdoor Fitness Equipment was provided to our Senior Center director Wendy Petty. These ideas and suggestions were summarily ignored.
It’s optimistic that we have a new director of Parks and Recreation. However the PRD director takes direction from our Parks and Recreation Commission, whose chair takes direction from our First Selectman.
My plea for a publicly endorsed list of PRC goals, objectives and timetable continues to be ignored. Perhaps Mr. Jaffe will have more success. However I believe that to get our recommendations implemented, our current Parks and Recreation Commission must be directed to do so.
The Parks and Recreation Commission is appointed by and reports to the First Selectman.
Take that into consideration when you vote in November.
Sadly Jay,
Tooker-Moore could care less what the community needs are.
It’s all about what they want. Even if it is grossly inappropriate.
In which case an expert is summoned at exorbitant expense to tell us what it is they think/know we need.
REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER.
Creating beautiful green spaces and linking them with sidewalks should be a Westport priority. Also, think about how Fairfield uses its gazebo in the middle of town.
As a long ago past president of the Westport Soccer Association, having attended many soccer games, practices, camps and clinics last year, over the Summer and this Fall, I am embarrassed by the existing conditions of our natural grass fields. Long term planning by the Parks and Recreation Department is an appropriate and worthy effort however, why are the soccer fields in this Town so poorly maintained?
A decade ago, Coley Middle Front was the premier field in this community because the natural grass was lush (seeded and fertilized regularly under Stuart McCarthy’s watch as P&Z Director) the field was irrigated and was constructed with the necessary porous materials beneath the grass surface to insure adequate drainage.
Now, Coley Middle Front along with Coley Middle Back and Burr Farms are in deplorable condition. I have not completed a thorough examination of all the town’s field but I see a pattern.
The antagonist’s response will be; the fields are all over used, that’s the problem and that’s why we need artificial turf fields.
My response is; they have ALWAYS been overused, the cries today for more fields are the same cries we heard 10 and 20 years ago.
I am sure we could always use more ball fields and I support the construction of more multi-purpose fields however, the lack of proper maintenance of our existing fields is inexcusable.
Regular irrigation is the most important part of maintaining a grass ball field. I see no evidence this is happening?
Plus, I noticed the Burr Farms fields were aerated this past week, right in the middle of the soccer season, why?
Now is not the time aerate the fields, this should be done in late November, early December, with fertilizing and new seed, when the season is over and the fields should be closed for the winter.
On the flip side, the Little League baseball fields are also over used but they are well maintained, I believe through a private contractor? Interesting.
I invite you to tour some of the fields in our surrounding towns and compare them to our fields and you will be asking the same questions.
Again, where is our current leadership? Who is responsible for the horrible lack of field maintenance? Will the new administration commit to taking this issue seriously?
It is disheartening to ask tax payers to pony up $110M for a new capital expenditure, when those in leadership roles are unable to take proper care of our existing assets.
~ Joseph V. Vallone, A.I.A.
Seems like all these problems are directly a result of lack of leadership 😢the silence is deafening 🇺🇸
Thank you Rick, for your suggestion. An excellent one. A no brainer, BUT when dealing with an administration full of hidden agendas, you know they will not care for the thoughtfully crafted responses.
They don’t care what it is we as a community need, unless it gets them to their agenda.
It’s same old… Deja vu.