Committee member urges temporary closure of Fairfield park over safety and insurance concerns

At the March 25 Fairfield regular session, a committee member (S2) asked the meeting to consider temporarily closing an under-construction playground and to check whether additional insurance coverage is needed if residents begin using the site.

Committee member (S2) framed the concern in terms of liability and safety: "a perfect recipe for disaster is the sidewalk going down through there and the dirt still being down as subgrade and not having people will get on their phones and they're walking along and they'll trip" and asked, "is there any additional things we need put in place to be able to ensure ourselves?" The member recommended talking to the trust about coverage.

Committee member (S1) supported the idea of closing the construction area, saying, "We got a park under construction. And I think we should shut it down?" Members discussed short-term measures including a two-foot tapered dirt strip, cones, and temporary signage that reads the area is closed while construction continues. Committee member (S2) noted staff or contractor Sean could quickly address dirt/tapering work.

Members acknowledged practical tensions: Chair (S3) said residents currently use the trail and asked whether signage alone would keep people out, while others emphasized clearly marking the area because it is not yet an official park.

Next steps: members agreed to post temporary barriers and signage and to have staff inspect and remove obvious hazards quickly; staff were asked to follow up with the trust about insurance. The meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.