The Town of Essex has received a grant for improvements to Hubbard Park. Work on the park is slated to begin in July of 2024, and the Town has scheduled a public hearing on the proposal on Wednesday, May 22, at the Essex Town Hall at 7 p.m. This will be the first opportunity for residents to comment on the plan.

Keep Hubbard Park Green supports the proposed new Little League concession stand. However, we are very concerned with the plan to convert the large grassy open space between the ballfield and North Main Street to a large parking lot for 38 cars. The existing Hubbard Park open grassy space is a unique amenity in Essex Village and should be preserved.

Let’s keep and enhance this open play space for all intergenerational users: from the siblings of Little Leaguers (who play on the lawn during games) to the families who play catch in the summer, football annually on holidays, and from the kids who learn to ride bikes there to walkers, joggers, and volleyballers, from kite flyers to rocket launchers, and from sledders to cross-country skiers, and so many others. Let’s design and install a green space that allows both informal play and occasional lawn parking. We envision a park that includes bike racks, benches, a drinking fountain, and more.

Keep Hubbard Park Green would like to see a revised plan that puts people ahead of parking. Go to KeepHubbardParkGreen.com to see the current proposed town plan, get information, and sign our petition. And please attend the May 22 public hearing to support Keep Hubbard Park Green for kids of all ages.

Jon Gordon

Essex