WARWICK — A survey of residents helped to inform the 2020 Open Space and Recreation Plan, which is focusing on increasing support for recreation and integrating conservation and balanced management efforts.
The plan, which is updated every 10 years, was outlined during an Open Space Committee public forum on Tuesday evening. Warwick maps and a PowerPoint presentation were presented by Franklin Regional Council of Governments’ Senior Planner Alyssa Larose, who was assigned to collaborate with the local committee through FRCOG’s District Local Technical Assistance work.
Larose and the committee spent the last two years working on the plan, which includes ranking the priority of town objectives and needs. Fifty-three residents weighed in on what they’d like to see happen in town through a survey conducted in May.
“Warwick has a strong sense of community,” Larose said while explaining the survey results. “People expressed a desire for places where they could come together for recreational activities.”
The plan’s “identified needs” for the future include: integrating climate resiliency into conservation and balanced management efforts; increasing support for low-impact recreation activities like hiking, fishing, swimming or biking; and developing a town-wide trail map. More than 40 percent of the residents surveyed suggested Warwick try to obtain trail rights through private lands, and 55 percent support publicly-funded trail maintenance.
The action plan going forward, Larose said, will also aim to maintain agricultural, historic and cultural resources, improve the quality of air and water and protect native wildlife. Another goal is to ensure the economic stability of the community by developing supportive infrastructure and encouraging economic activity compatible with the rural character of Warwick.
Larose also cited updated population statistics and assessed the town’s progress since the last Open Space and Recreation Plan was finished in 2010.
The total population based on a 2016 estimate is 742 residents, with the population declining by 5 percent from 2010 to 2016. In 2016, an estimated 99 percent of Warwick’s labor force was employed outside of the town, with an average commute of 37 minutes. Nearly half of the population is between 45 and 64.
“Warwick has the highest median age in the county at 54.9 years of age,” Larose noted.
Despite its aging population, Warwick has proven to have a proactive community, and stayed on track with many of its goals set in 2010, Larose said. The town passed the Right to Farm bylaw in 2010, acquired the Victoria Shaw property to add 88 acres to town forest land in 2017 and had more than 30 vernal pools certified by the Conservation Commission. Additionally, the Open Space Committee compiled a Warwick Town Forest handbook in 2017.
“Approximately 36 percent of the town is considered core habitat,” Larose said.
Core habitat is land identified as necessary to maintain biodiversity, and Warwick has many significant natural resources. While she said there is less of a threat from development, she noted that natural resources still face threats from pollution, invasive plants and animals or disease.
Open Space Committee Co-Chair George Day said there is also potential value to town-owned forest land. Warwick receives the income from timber harvesting, leading to decent revenue on a few occasions. He noted the old Fire Station was even built using timber harvested in town.
In addition to potential revenue, the forested land preserves the town’s rural character and trails. In the survey, more than 40 participants said these characteristics were a “very important” factor in their decision to live in Warwick.
According to Day, the town has acquired $239,133 worth of forest land since 1925. This includes the 87-acre Town Forest Reservation in 1925, the 80-acre Wilbur lot in 1945 and the 53-acre Allen lot in 1947 — where the Highway Department is now located, among other forested parcels.
Day said $224,538 of the funding for land acquisitions came from grants and private donations, as opposed to the $14,595 of Warwick funds appropriated through town meetings.
Other notable acquisitions of town land include the Wendell Road gravel pit in 1935 and Moore’s Pond Beach in 2010. Moore’s Pond Beach was purchased for $19,000 — $13,000 of which came through town meeting allocations and $6,000 from donations.
Larose said she is now coordinating with the Warwick Open Space Committee to set a due date for public comments, and will email the forum participants with information on submitting comments. The Open Space and Recreation plan, maps, and survey results will also be posted to the Warwick website shortly.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 264.
Warwick 2019 OSRP Survey Results by Zachary DeLuca on Scribd
Warwick OSRP Maps by Zachary DeLuca on Scribd