Baseball Field Tops Priorities of Proposed District

NORWOOD – The Norwood Recreation District Task Force has found five members willing to serve on the Norwood Recreation District Board, assuming voters approve the creation of the district in November’s election. But before that can happen, about 100 signatures are still needed to get the question on the ballot.

The task force has until Sept. 26 to secure signatures on the petition, which is stationed at the Norwood Hardware Store and being circulated by task force members.

“We are trying to start get this grassroots thing in place,” Recreation Task Force Co-Chair John Mansfield said on Tuesday. “We have a new petition and new legal wording.”

Mansfield stressed that the current petition is different from a previous one that focused on the creation of a community pool and recreation center. Mansfield said if someone is uncertain if they have signed the current petition, they should sign again. “It can’t hurt. Every person will only be counted once.

“Signing the petition isn’t a vote for or against, it is just to get the question out to voters,” he added. “This is an important first step toward realizing some of the community wants, and the cost is so minimal.”

The question will ask district voters to approve a recreation district, which will essentially encompass the same boundaries as the Norwood Library District. Residential property owners in the district will pay just under $8 per $100,000 assessed valuation to the rec district.

Once the district is established, it will be able to pursue funding from large scale grants or partner with other government entities like the school, town and county to reach mutual goals.

Mansfield said an initial course of action has already been set in anticipation of approval and includes building a high school baseball field, an amenity San Miguel County lacks.

“Forty-two percent of the kids in school are involved in a baseball program,” Mansfield said. “Once they get to a certain age, they don’t have a regulation-size field to play on. That is a project we would like to get on pretty quickly.”

Numerous other ideas have also cropped up regarding what the district could to satisfy the needs of Norwood’s recreation community.

“We really want to listen to the community and to hear what they would like and what they would like to see,” Mansfield said. “So far people have talked about walking trails, outdoor tennis courts and a skateboard park. The recreation district is the cornerstone to start building these things.”

If the recreation district question passes, Carmie Richesin, John Mansfield, Ken Watt, Jim Wells, and John Herndon will all be seated on the new Recreation District Board of Directors.