Whitman Open Space Committee Approves 2026 Work Plan, Eyes May Deadlines

WHITMAN -- April 9, 2026, Whitman's Open Space and Recreation Plan Implementation Steering Committee adopted a detailed 2026 work plan at its April 9 meeting, assigning members to tasks spanning culvert inventories, invasive species policy, ADA audits, and park site evaluations. Member Jason DeRozier said the state-approved plan will be printed for distribution to town boards and noted a Trail Nation Collaborative grant, offering between $10,000 and $25,000 for trail planning, closes May 10, with DeRozier and Old Colony Planning Council contact Matt Dyer weighing a feasibility study application for the Frederick Douglass bicycle and walking corridor. The committee set an April 30 site visit to Memorial Field and the adjacent community garden, the leading candidate for a dog park, though member Brian Kelly flagged that the town's Economic Development Committee is exploring a battery energy storage facility on DPW-controlled land nearby. Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife are scheduled to present an invasive species workshop at the Whitman Public Library on June 10, and member Ryan DeRozier is targeting May 2 for a public cleanup at Hobart Pond. The committee twice voted unanimously on its recording secretary, first appointing Leanne McKenzie, then rescinding that appointment in favor of Kelly, who handles the committee's cable TV recordings.