Exeter forms committee to turn 'eyesore' into downtown park: Here's how to volunteer

EXETER — The town is moving forward with plans to transform the “gap tooth in the smile of Water Street” into a park.

The Select Board voted 4-0 Monday to establish a PairPoint Park Stakeholder Committee, which they say would oversee the development and upkeep of the future park at 23 Water Street. Selectman Dan Chartrand recused himself from the discussion and vote, citing a conflict of interest due to owning Water Street Bookstore downtown.

The 3,300-square-foot vacant land, between Il Cornicello and The Chocolatier, was donated to the town by Elliott Berkowitz and Nancy Phillips last December. The property overlooking Exeter River has been considered an eyesore by many. It has been vacant for more than three decades after a fire destroyed what was Exeter Jewelers’ former location and a shoe store.

The board decided to create the committee after a group of residents came forward Feb. 26 with a proposal to jumpstart future improvements of the park.

The group – which included Dave Short, Florence Ruffner, Lara Bricker and Keith Whitehouse – offered plans to stabilize the site at no cost to the town. However, after meeting with Town Planner Dave Sharples last week to review the site, the group agreed it would be best not to rush the work.

“I think it’s probably in everybody’s best interest… not necessarily to take a step backward but don’t necessarily start anything immediately,” said Short on behalf of the group.

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Instead, Short said they would like to see the Select Board establish a formal committee to keep the project moving forward.

Sharples told the board he had “several concerns” regarding safety with the property following his site visit. He said those concerns needed to be addressed before starting any work, such as putting up a fence by the water, filling in the empty foundation hole caused by the fire and opening the space up to the public.

“The biggest thing was the uneven ground outside the hole,” Sharples said. “…It’s really unknown under there… I’m not saying there’s harm as far as chemicals or anything like that… it was just more uneven settling, organic material underneath. It’s not good to put people on there until you know it’s a sustainable surface.”

Select Board Chair Niko Papakonstantis said inspecting the land before moving forward is “a big, important” step that has to be taken.

It also gives them more time, he said, to create the committee and decide what the town wants to see in a future park.

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Papakonstantis said the board plans to discuss a mission statement for the new committee at its March 18 meeting. After that, he said residents can apply, and the board will conduct interviews. To apply, applicants must fill out a "statement of interest" application through the town manager's office.

Papakonstantis said the project will be “done in phases,” and there is no set timeline.

“First we need to find out what we have there,” he added. “We have to find out what does the community want there and how we’re going to do it – what do we have for resources, do we have volunteers, do we have other funds, do we apply for grants.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter forms committee to turn 'eyesore' into downtown park