Springtime is near and soon children and families will be headed to Claudia Driscoll Park to play at Canyon Hideaway, climb on that tank in front of the National Guard Armory Building or listen to a concert at the Band Shell. Everybody loves a great park and we have one right in our town. There is just one BIG problem. The City does not own the park, it is the property of Department of Military Affairs, who in 2016 decided to relocate the Hamilton National Guard Armory. Now the land and building are for sale.
There is a way to save our park. City residents can buy the park land and Armory building. The building would be renovated to be a Justice Center (Police and Courts) and the rest of the property will be kept as a wonderful park and open space. Of course, to do this costs money so the Hamilton City Council has called for a Bond Election – If you live in the City you should already have received your mail in ballet due back by March 21, 2017. I urge you all to vote YES to the bond.
If this bond is voted down, the entire property will go to auction. Someone will buy it and developed the land into something other than a park. Our community-built playground and band shell will be gone. A park is a terrible thing to lose and we will lose it if we don’t act now.
Jessica Randazzo
Hamilton