Park and Recreation Commission defers SMILE playground decision, seeks fully universal design

SUDBURY -- December 8, 2025, Sudbury Park and Recreation defers SMILE playground design after disability advocate pushes back on compromise. The commission on Dec. 8 stopped short of selecting any of five vendor options for the rebuilt Featherland playground, instead asking the contractor for additional fully universal layouts after Leisha Quinto, chair of the Commission on Disability, told the board "ADA compliance is the absolute floor for accessibility." Combined Facilities Director Sandra Duran and acting recreation lead Victor introduced Bedford retiree Amy Hamilton as the new interim recreation director, capped at roughly 20 hours per week, after Director Dennis abruptly resigned the previous Friday. The commission also voted 5-0 to back a revised $66,000 Haskell bathroom CPC request (down from outside bids near $120,000 thanks to in-house demolition and contracting), 5-0 to approve three Sudbury Youth Baseball LED solar scoreboards at Featherland over three years, and 5-0 to adopt simpler Option 2 leash-law signage townwide. Robert Beagan was appointed liaison to the Commission on Disability.