Sharing my notes (and responses) from last Thursday’s LLSAC Sewataro Committee meeting, by Laura Briggs
Please take a moment to email your ideas for additional resident programming outside of camp hours (weekend swimming, Fall Festival, Farmers Markets, etc.) to llsac@sudbury.ma.us.
The next meeting on 7/16 will be focused on developing a Sudbury resident survey regarding future uses at Sewataro. James Goudie-Murray asked a good question of the Committee — What else are you hoping to learn from a town survey? James noted that almost 200 distinct ideas were shared during the public input session on June 24th for the Committee to digest.
Vivian Zeng (Director of Health & Community Services) shared her feedback — it has been excellent working with the Camp Sewataro operator, as the Camp has been proactive with safety, investing in capital and accessibility improvements such as ramps, and compliance with maintenance (pools and landscaping).
Vivian’s immediate focus is getting Fairbanks fully operational. However, given the beauty of the Sewataro property, she would like to evolve and integrate programming with Fairbanks and Sewataro. She also shared her ideas for Sewataro: yoga in the woods, forest baths, fall programming (Fall Festival), and summer programming (Farmers Market, etc.).
Other Committee members weighed in:
- Sports fields are not being pursued at Sewataro — the focus is on Broad Acres and Davis Field.
- The Sudbury Housing Authority does not appear to be interested in the current onsite housing properties.
- Several emails were received requesting early Camp registration for Sudbury residents, prior to opening to the public.
Then the same old debate
It was a positive and productive session until public comments opened with Jeff Levine (SHT) and Len Simon derailing the discussion with their old debate going back to 2018 (Groundhog Day movie, anyone?), prior to the Town voting to acquire Sewataro.
Jeff Levine started off stating 25% of town residents are now over the age of 60, and by building age-restricted housing on Sewataro that would enable seniors to downsize their homes.
Response: Young FAMILIES are moving into Sudbury, not retirees, so we will need to account for the additional student headcount to educate. Selling off 15–25 acres of Sewataro would destroy the camp infrastructure for a large portion of the activities (archery, zipline, garden, rock climbing, covered pavilion, etc.).
Len Simon then jumped in to discuss “Money”:
- A splash pad — Len claims this would be cost effective as Sudbury would not need lifeguards as kids cannot drown in 1–2 inches of water. Response: Len forgot to get a proposal for the cost to build a splash pad, and given our current Level 3 Drought conditions, a splash pad is highly unlikely considering we have an outdoor water ban.
- More people are over 60 — so adding senior housing will not impact the schools. Response: Len forgot that FAMILIES are buying the houses that the seniors are vacating, so we need continued investment in quality schools, daycares, and summer day camps for working parents.
- Scott Brody is keeping all the Camp profits and giving Sudbury “crumbs,” so Len believes an RFP will negotiate higher profit margins for the Town. He called the camp a luxury. Response: Scott Brody has been an excellent vendor partner to the Town and has made capital improvements to the Camp, something the Town is historically deficient in. In addition to the revenue provided to the Town of $320K, The Camp provides year-round maintenance valued at over $350K. In the recent three years, The Camp has also invested $143K in accessibility improvements. We need a long-term Camp operating agreement to provide stability to the Camp operator and to incentivize capital investment such as accessibility improvements. Working parents need a local FULL DAY summer camp for their children to have an outdoor experience, swim lessons, and a diverse range of activities to learn and be engaged. It is not a luxury for working parents — it is a priority!
- Sewataro’s revenue is too low for the $11M investment in acquiring the land. Response: Fairbanks’ revenue has been FAR TOO LOW for the $40M investment. Maybe Herb Chambers would love to acquire Fairbanks and Haskell Field for another car dealership to add to his empire… Being facetious here, but the reality is Fairbanks IS a significant cost to town residents, so Len should focus on increasing Fairbanks revenue before maligning Sewataro.
I spoke after Len’s comments, as my family used Camp Sewataro for five years, for several reasons — a proven, nearby quality outdoor experience for our son, and swimming lessons. It was not a luxury, as our daycare was closed during the Summer — it was a Life Saver for a dual working family!
There is a reason Camp Sewataro is FULL year after year — it is a proven resource for families, and Scott Brody has been a tremendous partner to the Town and the residents!
We live in the Bowker neighborhood and I’ve noticed there are more houses for sale right now than any other time we have lived here (14 years) — and the buyers are FAMILIES. Sudbury needs quality schools, daycares, and Summer FULL DAY camps so parents can work. We need a long-term agreement for the Camp, and we should invest in additional recreational opportunities outside of Camp hours.
There are 9 to 10 months of the year we can maximize on the beautiful open space of Sewataro, in addition to the Summer weekends and non-camp hours.
I also encourage you to think about the future buyer of your home 10, 20, 30+ years from now, and how we can continue to evolve Sudbury as a desirable community for families to enjoy — we have an opportunity to connect and integrate Fairbanks, Sewataro, and the Rail Trails.
Please share your ideas with the Sewataro Committee at llsac@sudbury.ma.us. And be sure to take the town’s community survey before it closes on September 7.
Watch the recording
Recording provided by SudburyTV
