Table of Contents

Another ‘ballfields’ perspective -
Ten chances to honor our neighbors
 

“Mr. Chairman, I’d like one more chance to bring the discussion of naming the ballfields before this board. At our last meeting, it was very clear that the vote to name the town’s ballfields after Mr. Opachinski has raised questions in the community. Our recent attempt to revisit the question resulted in a divided board. After giving this matter further thought, I would like to present another option for this board’s consideration.

“I realize that it may strain the patience of those of you who want to keep the name as it is, but for the good of the town, and in the spirit of being inclusive, I would ask your indulgence. I will take but a few brief moments of your time.

“Mr. Chairman, there is a strong difference of opinion over whether the ballfields should carry Mr. Opachinski’s name. I raise this issue not to take anything away from the Opachinskis. They are respected members of our community and I, too, honor what they have done for our town. While I do not have the close friendship with the family that you do, that in no way diminishes my appreciation for their work. However, one argument originally advanced — that being that their financial contributions to the creation of the ballfields somehow made them the leading contender for this distinction — overlooks an important point.

“The true shareholders of these ballfields, Mr. Chairman, are the residents and taxpayers of Kingston who voted to expend $1.7 million of their money to make these fields reality. Given the difficult financial times that we face, this was no small leap of faith on the residents’ part. The ballfields belong to all of us, Mr. Chairman – not just the five members on this board, but to every taxpayer and citizen of Kingston. And our position, as Town Fathers, is to make decisions that reflect the best interests of the community as a whole.

“Mr. Chairman, we have ten individual ballfields that will soon be used by our community’s youth. Let’s think a little creatively and use this as an opportunity to unite our town.

“Rather than assigning one person’s name to the ballfield complex, I suggest assigning a generic overall name to the fields, such as the Kingston Fields, the Pottle Street fields, or whatever the board and residents determine to be appropriate – and then naming each individual field in memory of someone from our town. So instead of one name, we’d have ten.

“Think of it, Mr. Chairman. Ten fields. Ten chances to recognize ten people from our community. Each individual field would honor someone whose life has made a difference in Kingston. Do you think we’d have trouble coming up with ten names? Not on your life, Mr. Chairman.

“I can think of a few individuals whose memories we will never forget. We have Melissa Benoit, whose tragic death touched us all and whose mother in her deepest hour of grief paid our community the highest compliment possible by saying “You have made Melissa not just my daughter, but our daughter.” We have Jonathan Rizzo, by all accounts a fine young man whose trust and generosity of spirit cost him his life. There is Billy Hunt, a well-liked son of Kingston who died in the September 11 World Trade Center tragedy. Let’s also not forget Billy Gould, our town’s first Vietnam war casualty, whose death brought that war home and into sharp focus. Their stories have had a strong impact on us all, whether we knew them personally or learned about them from those who did. What a fitting way to insure that future generations will remember these fine people.

“Mr. Chairman, think of our neighbors who have contributed so many years of service to Kingston. Rocky Cole. George Cushman. Joe Glass. And Mr.Opachinski. All are worthy of being honored. Coming up with ten names wouldn’t be a problem. Limiting it to ten would be a far greater challenge – but it’s a great problem to have!

“And, if it helps convince the rest of you that this is a good idea, I’ll be the first to suggest that one of the ten fields carry Mr. Opachinski’s name.

“I know that all of us are sick of reading continual negative news about our hometown. We’ve had enough TV and newspaper coverage about arrests and crimes and problems to last several lifetimes. Let’s reverse this tide of negative opinion by doing something to lift this community’s spirits and image.

“Mr. Chairman, let’s find a way to make this happen. Let’s form a committee and solicit community input. Let’s get the town involved in the nomination process – maybe the schools, too, with an essay contest on “Kingston’s greatest citizens.” We could make it a real townwide event, like the Old Home Days or Kingston’s 275th. These are details we can work out.

“Mr. Chairman, no family member has approached me on this topic and they might in fact be embarrassed that I even raise the question. But I respectfully suggest that we give this serious consideration.

“We are leaders. Let’s lead by doing something positive for this town that we care about and call home.

“Thanks for listening, Mr. Chairman. Would any members of the board care to comment?”
 

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