The City has offered Worcester State University our Chandler Magnet ball fields. Worcester State will turn them into a parking lot.
Why is this happening?
- Worcester State needs parking, but is not willing to manage its own parking problem on its own land.
- Unlike any other business in this city, it has been allowed to expand without providing for its own needs.
- Because this public parcel of fifteen acres also contains the woodlands above the field, this plan allows Worcester State to extend its footprint deep into public lands.
Why does this matter?
- The City is planning to give public land, land that belongs to the residents of this city, to Worcester State. This is YOUR land.
- Open green space is important to our health, the environment, and the value of our homes. It is a public good. Are we willing to see it turned into a parking lot?
- Youth sports teams, adult athletic teams, and ordinary residents using those fields and public hiking trails will lose them, permanently.
How could this happen?
- This property is under the jurisdiction of the School Committee. City Manager’s office is pressuring its members to declare the Chandler Magnet ball fields surplus.
- If they do so, the fields would be released to the City.
- Then the City would sell or lease them to WSU for use as a commercially-operated parking lot.
Why have I not heard about this?
- This proposal, in the works for over a year, has been kept secret from the public.
- School Committee and City Council members have been told about it by ones and twos, so that the issue can be kept off of official agendas.
- The City Manager’s office plans to call a neighborhood meeting with those people whose homes are near the field, and to present it as a done deal.
Save The Chandler Magnet Ball Fields 
I have signed the petition & will contact every School Committee member, as well as Gary Rosen.
Have you thought of contacting the Jesse Burkett organization, the soccer leagues etc? They must maintain email addresses for the parents of kids who rely on this field.
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Yes, Jesse Burkett is in the loop! As is Worcester Youth Soccer League, and the adult Worcester World Cup. Thanks so much for doing the real advocacy of contacting the School Committee members and Gary Rosen.
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Would be a significant loss for city. Went to that school when it was known as Chandler Jr. High. The athletic fields in the back were among the best in the city at that time. They were always well taken care and open for use to everyone. With all the talk about the need for more “rectangular fields” why would the city even consider allowing this space to be turned into a paved parking lot for WSU students. Good grief, WSU is simply taking over that neighborhood.
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