AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF WORCESTER TO PLACE A CONSERVATION RESTRICTION ON GREEN HILL PARK.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. Chapter 100 of the acts of 1999 is hereby amended by inserting after section 2 the following section:-
Section 2A. The city of Worcester may, notwithstanding sections 1 and 2, grant a conservation restriction on the land held by the city for park purposes and known as Green Hill Park, the land to include land added to Green Hill Park under authority of section 1. The purposes of the conservation restriction shall be: (1) to restrict the use of the park to park purposes, and (2) to prevent any disposition or diversion of park land to public or private nonpark purposes. Nothing in the conservation restriction shall prohibit the use of the park for any passive or active recreation use, public memorials, public gatherings, or for any other purpose recognized under the laws of the commonwealth as a park or recreation use, and any activity or use reasonably accessory or incidental thereto, including, without limitation, the installation, demolition and maintenance of park trails, fences, gates, signs, roads, athletic fields and facilities, parking areas, concession stands, kiosks, park stations, restrooms, a zoo and temporary entertainment venues; nor shall the conservation restriction prohibit the use of a specified area of the park as a golf course or for uses reasonably accessory or incidental thereto, including, but not limited to, a driving range; and provided, further, that the conservation restriction shall not prohibit the use of the park by the parks and recreation department of the city to maintain the designated areas for the storage and management of various loose materials required for the maintenance and management of the park and recreation facilities, so long as any such designated area shall be fenced in and visually screened from the rest of the park; nor shall the conservation restriction prohibit the use of the park by the city to maintain areas for the processing of naturally occurring, biodegradable material such as cut brush, tree storm damage and trimmings, so long as any such processing area is professionally managed and returned to its natural state on a yearly basis. The conservation restriction shall comply with the requirements of section 31 of chapter 184 of the General Laws and shall be held jointly and severally by the Green Hill Park Coalition, Inc., and the Greater Worcester Land Trust, Inc.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon its passage.