Paul Leighton
BEVERLY — What is the future of Obear Park? The Ryal Side Civic Association will host a meeting tonight with city officials to contemplate that question.
The bathhouse at Obear Park was hit by fire in August, making the bathrooms unusable. A portable toilet was installed for the rest of the summer, but now the neighborhood group wants to plan a long-term vision for the park along the Danvers River.
"It's a fabulous park. It's the biggest park we have here in Ryal Side," said Joaney Gallagher, a co-president of the Ryal Side Civic Association. "We use it every year for the Fourth of July celebration. We'd like to be able to use it for other events, but it's very limited. It's very difficult for people to go down to the park when they have no facility."
The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Ryal Side Civic Center at 7 Eleanor Ave.
Gallagher said Mayor Bill Scanlon and Ward 1 City Councilor Maureen Troubetaris are scheduled to attend along with representatives of the Parks and Recreation Department and the Department of Public Services.
The walls of the bathhouse still remain but the roof had to be taken off by firefighters because it was structurally unsound. Gallagher said there has been talk of building a new bathroom and renovating the bathhouse to possibly include a sink, refrigerator and small stove for family gatherings.
"It's all up in the air right now," she said. "It can be whatever the neighborhood wants it to be. The more people that show up (tonight), the more everybody is going to take this as a serious issue in this area."
