I’m in the town next door to Groton (Westford)…can’t vote in Groton, but I’ll send an email!
Lisa, does the town own the Fairgrounds?
I will try to get there on Wednesday night but it will be hard from Sherborn. I will certainly email Don and ask others in Norfolk Hunt Pony Club and my old friends at Jericho Forest Pony Club to do the same.
I can’t even imagine losing GPC and Puritan Hill simultaneously. What a great place GPC is for those with green horses and starting out in the sport. The enclosed cross country space is invaluable to the little kids going out in competition for the first time!
I know how hard it was for Jericho to lose the 1747 grounds to a big huge, butt-ugly house. The club did not recover from the loss and is now defunct.
I will do what I can and spread the word.
Best,
Sandy Niles
Yes, the town owns the property.
Thanks so much to everyone who has e-mailed Don and/or are planning to attend the meeting this week!
The more people who are there, in person, advocating for the fairgrounds, the bigger impression it will make. I live in California, have only seen it from driving by with a friend, and even I would feel the loss. What a gem it is.
If you can get there, please please go. The decisionmakers are probably used to a quiet meeting with a group of regulars, and having a lot of strangers there will make a positive difference.
Also: if someone knows Karen O’Connor and can reach her to have her send an email in support, I think that would make an impression. Being able to say your facility sent a youngster on to the Olympics is a huge point of pride.
Good idea! 
Last week I sent an e-mail to Karen, saying that we would be forever grateful to her if, in her role as the club’s most famous alumni, she could please, pretty please, send an e-mail to Don Black in support of the pony club and the facility. I sent the request to the generic oconnor equestrian e-mail address obtained from their web site, so it may just be buried in the inbox there. If anyone else has a more direct point of contact for Karen, that would be really helpful.
As I understand it, the pony club was using the fairgrounds as its home base when Karen was a member, so she should be familiar with the property and what it means to the pony club.
In my e-mail to Karen I included this picture of David, taken with 4 members of Groton Pony Club back in 2007 at Equine Affaire in Massachusetts. All 4 of these kids are still in the club today: 1 is a C3 and the other 3 are all C2s. Dedicated bunch of kids…how can anyone look at these cute faces & take their riding grounds away?
I am a Groton resident who rides at the fairgrounds on occasion. I examined some of the town documents (available on the town website) to see if any support the possible development of fields on this property. None do.
I am hoping this is raised at the meeting Wednesday night. I have business travel that day and may not be back in time for the meeting. My letter to Don Black is below as a resource (tells you where to look in the documents) if anyone cares to raise these points at the meeting.
Dear Mr. Black,
I am writing in support of maintaining the Groton Fairgrounds for its current use. While I ride my horse at the fairgrounds, my personal use of this property is not the only reason I am appalled that members of our community want to take a resource from one segment of the population and use it for themselves.
Changing the use of this property is not in accordance with the town’s Master Plan or its encouragement of maintaining what remains of Groton’s rural heritage. According to the Master Plan, one goal for land use is to adopt provisions that maintain an appropriate mix and intensity of uses. As Groton has several other town facilities with playing fields and no other town riding rings, turning the fairgrounds into playing fields is directly opposed to this goal.
According to the Groton Master Plan Open Space Working Paper (on the town website and dated October 17, 2010) the town maintains 6 recreational facilities including the Country Club and excluding the Groton Fairgrounds. Pages 12 and 13 of this document also state that if four additional lacrosse/football fields are developed at Cow Pond Brook Road, the new facilities will meet the town’s needs for the next 25 years. In addition, the document lists other options for additional fields. Page 13 of the working paper states that “Equestrian facilities are also an important part of Groton’s recreational portfolio.” While there are 6 properties set aside for other sports, the fairgrounds is the only property set aside for public equestrian use. This document makes no mention of excluding the sport of horseback riding from town-owned lands and does not mention the possibility of altering the fairgrounds from its current use.
There is no reason for the town to take the fairgrounds from its current users. The Groton Fairgrounds is a landmark that keeps Groton from being just another metro west suburb like all our neighbors to the east. It would be a shame for some to make a land grab at this parcel because those who use this property are in the minority as both voters and users of the town’s municipal properties.
If there is anything I can do in aid of keeping the Groton Fairgrounds an equestrian facility (in addition to riding there), please feel free to contact me. I am traveling for business on March 9, and it is not likely that I will be back in time to attend the meeting.
EJK - great information - thank you, very much for sharing your research here!
Meeting TONIGHT
I will be in attendance tonight, at the Legion Hall in Groton, if anyone would like to send or copy me on emails I would be happy to hold them up as to evidence of why this facility is so badly needed, and its continued use is not only for equestrian sports. As a member of the the Groton Historical Society I would also stress the significance of the Fair Grounds historic value. And the Fair Grounds future use to hold a old fashioned type of County Fair, like the ones currently held in Sterling and in Westford.
Also with the decrease in funding for 4-H and other agricultural organizations, the need is even greater to have a place where it is possible to show livestock. When I wanted my daughter to be able to show beef cattle, she had to travel all the way to Spencer to find a group in 4-H that supported that type of activity. (And Groton was at one time a top notch breeding site for Black Angus) http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903E1D6133FF93BA15752C1A96E958260
Marion Campbell-Danielson, would be appalled to think we prefer playing fields instead…
Thanks to all that are supporting the Pony Club and Eventing, but this issue goes way, way beyond that.
Harris McWade
Groton, Mass
Thanks for all the support and perspective from the Groton residents here on this topic! Just giving one last bump, seeing as the meeting is tonight.
Thanks Lisa, for bring this issue to a larger VENUE!
Harris
I sent an email to Don Black a few hours ago. I grew up competing at the fairgrounds, and would be very sad to see the loss of the grounds for equestrian use. It seems as if we are losing places to ride daily. If there is anyone else who we can email before tonight’s meeting, please let me know.
LOL…posting from Legion Hall. Am gratified to report that there was such a turn out, the floor started to collaspe. Meeting movin to town hall!
Whoa, I don’t type well on my phone while exiting a building with a collapsing floor, now that I see my post above.
Seriously, awesome turnout tonight. CLEARLY the soccer/lacrosse folks had not mobilized the troops because the room was packed and there was only 1 person who spoke in support of doing away with horse access completely. Plus there was 1 person who wants to phase out the trotters stabled at the fairgrounds, but retain the overall rural character of the property (no sports fields).
Several articulate people spoke. Meredith Scarlet was awesome. One gentleman from the Groton Historical Society spoke very briefly, but with a very significant point - the fairgrounds may be eligible for the national historic register, in which case it would be protected from sports fields.
A couple people took the floor and spoke quite passionately, but rather aimlessly and for quite a long time. Great to see the passion, though! While filling out of the meeting, the woman behind me cracked me up…she was talking to a friend and saying: “Democracy in action sure is messy.” Messy but very gratifying to be a part of the process!
Don Black did a phenomenal job moderating what I’m guessing has got to be the most crowded Parks & Rec meeting ever. He promised all attendees that they would be notified when the Parks & Rec committee did a site walk, so that anyone who wanted to participate in the site walk would be allowed to do so.
Although I live in Albany, NY, my thoughts were with all of you last night. To lose such a special place would be terrible.
Fingers crossed and keep up the good fight!
Lisa,
Thanks for this great up-to-the minute blow-by-blow (the floor thing was quite um, interesting!)
In after meeting conversation, it was pointed out that although the horse community representation was amazing, that the parents of athletics age kids out-number the horse community at least 16:1 so it’s an up-hill battle.
Both the in-town Ag Commission and Historic Commission are against taking the Fairgrounds for anything but equestrian/agri use. The Historic commission is trying to get the Fairgrounds added to the National Historic Register.
It was also pointed out that the town could purchase a larger parcel of land near existing sports fields for less than what it would cost to ultimately put in fields at the Fairgrounds (about $100k more). 2 other properties exist, both bigger and with better access than the Fairgrounds so options are being considered.
The Parks commission people were also unaware of the potential danger of a shared sports/horse venue. Not only to the riders and spectators at the horse area, but also to the other users with a loose horse running around. The issue of town liability in that case hadn’t been considered.
Unless we can find a way to get the Fairgrounds (aka Hazel Grove Park) protected forever, now, this issue will continue to come up.
Next step, a walk of all the potential properties when the snow melts.
What left me shaking my head was when the commissioners were asked about the property the town already has, which apparently has plenty of room for sports fields and currently has no other use that would be conflicted by the installation of sports fields. And the response back from the commissioners was that the drawback to putting sports fields in at that location was the fact that people would “have to drive through Ayer to get to those fields, and that is not ideal”.
Am I missing something? Why exactly would it be an issue for Groton lacrosse players to drive through Ayer to access Groton playing fields? You’d think Ayer is a foreign country with dictators squashing uprisings in the streets or something. I’ve driven through Ayer plenty of times, and never saw the need to roll up my windows & lock the doors… :lol:
Bigger issue
Good point Lisa, But also a bigger issue to me is the fact that the Soccer contingency is not willing to SHARE the fields… Jeff Oringer on the Parks and Rec. Board has effectively blocked the Lacrosse groups from using the FIELDS. I would think the sports groups that use town and school fields should learn to play nice together and share!
Did you pick up on the request for use of the soccer fields every day from DAWN to DUSK??? Or was that right about the time the floor gave way? But Don did deny the request, stating that the request needed to be more specific! Lots of stuff going on behind the scene, and as this all comes to light. It may be possible to once and for all protect the FAIRGROUNDS. I am a board member of the Groton Historical Society and also help with Grotonfest. I think I can safely say that the G.H.S. has an interest in seeing that the Fairgrounds aka Hazel Grove Park retains it current use and the town has some other agricultural types of events to take place there.
Thanks again to EVERY ONE who turned out…it is nice to know people will take the time to show up for life.
Thank you, Harris!
I thought the proposal to install lights on the existing fields and have the older kids play at night was also a valid cheaper option, as well…at least on a temporary basis, but it would be nice to find a permanent protection for the fairgrounds.
And here’s another thought. The town dumps 250 pounds of fertilizer 4 times a year on each sports field. What would the Nashua River Watershed Association think of a sports field being installed at the fairgrounds, adjacent to the Nashua River?
Do you happen to know any interested parties in regards to this?
Hi Harris,
I’m not sure the issue is that Jeff O is unwilling to share the fields between soccer and lacrosse rather that the fields are already booked for soccer so there are no time slots available for lacrosse?
We had a good horse contingent last night. That will change as awareness happens and the parents show up. Hopefully the town hall floors can hold us all? 
