popularity is rising slowly but surely -------------------------------------- Westborough officials OK badminton site plan By John Fenuccio/Daily News staff The MetroWest Daily News Dec 18, 2008 @ 10:25 PM WESTBOROUGH — Selectmen unanimously approved the site plan review for an eight-court indoor badminton facility at 169 Flanders Road. Michael Dryden from Watermen Design Associates, the firm in charge of the project, presented selectmen this week with a project update and a building footprint of the facility. The proposed badminton facility will hold 32 players and be one and a half stories spread out over 15,250 square feet. It will feature eight regulation-size badminton courts, as well as a reception area, small kitchen, locker rooms, offices and bathrooms. The plans also call for 56 parking spaces, or seven per court, adjacent to the proposed building. Before the project gets under way, the Historical Commission will do a walkthrough of the site. The board decided at its Sept. 18 meeting that the property, as well as the house currently on it, have historic value. Dryden said Watermen Design representatives should accompany the Historical Commission for the walkthrough because of the poor condition of the house. "Both the structure and the site are in a serious state of disrepair at this point in time," he said. The property was deeded to Deacon Daniel Chamberlain in 1778 by his father, Ebenezer Chamberlain, who settled in Westborough in 1773, according to the Historical Commission. Daniel Chamberlain was a town moderator, selectman and captain of the militia. His son, Daniel Jr., was born on the property and went on to become a missionary in the Sandwich Islands. In 1825, after the death of Daniel Sr., the property was sold to the town for $4,600 to be used as a pauper farm, which it was until 1881. Aside from the site's history, some residents who attended Tuesday's board meeting expressed enthusiasm for the sport of badminton. One woman said she started playing badminton 15 years ago and called it a terrific sport. Selectman Rod Jane also spoke in favor of the proposed badminton facility. "Badminton (is) very popular among Jane cookouts," he said. "Good luck with it ... it sounds like a pretty fun thing and a great activity for local people of Westborough to do."
