Of sunscreen and snowboards

Ahh, summertime at Prospect Hill Park; sunbathing, concert-going ... snowboarding?
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)

WALTHAM

The Prospect Hill Park Advocacy Group has come out against a local businessman's proposal to cover part of the Prospect Hill with a synthetic surface ski slope that could be used for skiing and snowboarding in warmer months.

"It is ... incompatible with the goals of the [park] master plan, it is incompatible with the operation of the summer camp, it is incompatible with wildlife habitat values, and it is incompatible with other year-round uses of the ski slope," said the volunteer group's chair, Gloria Champion.

Entrepreneur Michael Colomba's plan has already met with opposition from the Park and Recreation Board, who rejected it at a meeting last month. But supporters on the City Council such as At-Large Councilor Sarafina "Sally" Collura and Ward 1 Councilor Robert S. Kelly are trying to put it on the council's agenda, saying it would provide a unique recreation option and attract tourism.

-- Stephanie V. Siek