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Parks and Recreation 05/07/2025
(Episode Description is AI generated and may be errors in accuracy)
Betancourt Field stands as more than just a patch of grass – it represents community pride and a shared legacy for Raynham's youth athletes. Yet as Jason, Vice President of the Raynham Giants, explained to town officials, what was once a lush playing surface has deteriorated into bare, depressed patches that raise safety concerns. Rather than simply highlighting problems, Jason extended a hand of partnership: "Our only wish is to be a collaborative partner in bringing the field back to its potential."
The field's history reveals a cyclical pattern of care and deterioration. Town officials noted the middle section had been completely replaced about fifteen years ago but has recently suffered unprecedented damage. While drought and water restrictions might seem like obvious culprits, the conversation revealed a more fundamental issue – overuse for practices when the field should primarily serve as a game venue. As one official observed, "I can actually see the deterioration of the 50-yard line from the roadway," highlighting the urgency of addressing the situation before summer heat further complicates restoration efforts.
What makes this exchange remarkable is the spirit of genuine collaboration that emerged. Rather than assigning blame, both parties focused on practical solutions – from immediate reseeding with bluegrass to potential installation of a dedicated well that would bypass water restrictions. The Giants committed to enforcing stricter usage policies moving forward, recognizing their role as stewards of this community treasure. Perhaps most significantly, financial resources could come from both the town and the sports organization, creating true partnership in preservation.
The conversation reflects challenges facing countless communities nationwide – balancing increased demand for recreational spaces with sustainable maintenance practices. This Raynham example offers a template for addressing such issues through open communication, shared responsibility, and creative problem-solving. Have you witnessed similar challenges in your community's recreational spaces? Join the conversation about how we can protect these valuable resources for the next generation of athletes.
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The President of the United States, joe Biden, and the President of the United States, joe Biden and the President of the United States, joe Biden and the President of the United States, joe Biden. And the President of the United States, joe Biden and the President of the United States, joe Biden and the President of the United States, joe Biden and the President of the United States, joe Biden and the President of the United States, joe Biden and the President of the United States, joe Biden and the President of the United States, joe Biden and the President of the United States. Right, I make a motion to nominate Riley. Is that next chairman? Stay the eyes, have it. You know it's passing the torch over Passing the torch over.
Speaker 3:Congratulations on another re-election.
Speaker 1:Thank you, top vote getter right here. I know Top vote getter. I started with your name in. You know what? I didn't even vote.
Speaker 4:That's how confident I was in my campaign this year, I wasted my vote on you. You did Thank you. Well, you didn't vote for yourself.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm sorry.
Speaker 4:I forgot. It's all, thank you, we didn't vote for yourself, sorry, yeah, yeah, sorry, I didn't vote for myself last year either, I believe. Oh yeah, I completely missed it. Completely missed it. Well, you're all set.
Speaker 2:Fun to watch her. Fun to watch her. Yeah, we're enjoying it.
Speaker 5:Organization, the representatives, talent personal community members. Hi there, my name is Jason Korski. I am the vice president of the Ringham Giants. I'd like to start by thanking the commission for providing me the opportunity to speak here tonight. I hope we can open up some dialogue around the current condition of Betancourt Field in the time that I'm allowed. Over the past few seasons, the condition of the field, particularly near the 50 yard line and within the hashes, has gone from lush and full to dead and bare. In many spots the dried out patches and bare spots have created areas that depress lower than the grade and present some safety concerns for players moving forward.
Speaker 5:Our only wish is to be a collaborative partner in bringing the field back to its potential, completely understanding the budgetary constraints of the town water restrictions that have been a constant for years, as well as the additional use of the field through other town programs and schools. Our concerns that, if we cannot work on a solution to rectify the issues, we'll continue to see a once beautiful field this year. The Giants are committed to being a partner in making things better, to produce a playing field for the community to be proud of. All we are looking for is an understanding from a time, money and resources perspective, of what a collaborative, basic, better, best, solutions-based approach would look like. As we approach the dry and hot summer months, we are asking for your help in finding a timely and cost-effective solution in order to repair something that badly needs to be fixed.
Speaker 2:And I thank you for your time and attention. Mr Shawn, do you want to go first? Who's going to talk first? I'm not used to not having a gavel, I'm not used to weed it, so it's very close for all of us. Jason, I think we've met once or twice.
Speaker 1:Yes, we was Okay, my thoughts on it right.
Speaker 1:I've been what's the word I'm looking for passionately involved with that field for many years. Not to pat myself on the back, but I made sure we put a fence around it before we did anything to it to protect it from vandals. And then we skim the entire middle of the field and replaced for the second time and we're going back 15 years maybe the middle of the field because it's the most use. As we all know, the seven, eight, nine year olds play between the hashes from the 30 to the 30 of the lucky 40 to 40 more routinely, and that's why we have so much damage in the middle of it so we replaced that probably 15 years ago and since that time we haven't had an issue with that field until this year that I've seen and noticed.
Speaker 1:I noticed this year. Driving by, I can actually see the deterioration of the 50-yard line from the roadway, which is not good right. So that was the first time I saw it like that and I don't remember what month it was, but but even before that, even before.
Speaker 1:I saw the deterioration of that area of the field.
Speaker 1:It's been common practice from the Giants standpoint up until I think even recently, that that field is only supposed to be used for Mighty Mites, the seven-year-olds for practices at all and other than that, the field is was supposed to be supposed to stay off of it, regardless of the thing when I get started to 530, regardless of whatever if somebody else is using your practice area, and there hasn't been a problem.
Speaker 1:But last year I noticed that there was a lot of activity on that field, my basic love for that area and my attention to that area. The only thing I can think of and we can't say it's the drought, we can't say it's the irrigation system, because it hasn't looked like that in many years and it's the same irrigation system and we've had similar drugs and we've never had that type of damage. And I watched highlight videos that you guys have posted on your website of this year where you can see how you, if you actually watch it, you can, you know, watch your season or you know you can see the middle deteriorate, deteriorate, deteriorate and get worse.
Speaker 1:And then at the end is, you know, 10 minutes of video of past Giants programs playing on that field and at times even in some of those videos you can see where the middle is deteriorated and broken down on that 50-yard line where you have that cup, the other, I mean they have that cup. So my only comment is that if you guys aren't staying off of it, that's what you're going to expect to deal with. So I mean moving forward, repairing it. I don't have a problem with pairing with you guys to repair it personally, but it's gonna.
Speaker 5:It's gonna need a commitment from your organization to stay off the field yes, we have addressed that with the rest of the board and the incoming coaches that this year we're going to make a very concerted effort to stay off of that and have a really long time.
Speaker 1:Just to continue on my thought, as we're talking, I realize that you're not just. You're a representative, right, correct? And you have maybe five to seven coaches at each level. So that's four times seven is 28, right? You've got 28 individual coaches that have children on these teams and want the best for their kid, as we all do. And I know how hard it is to fight against individuals who want the best for their child, not thinking about all the other kids and the kids in the future. And I had my battles with a couple of people that ended friendships because we couldn't agree on the fact that that is our one and only game field. It's probably, I would have to say, the best in youth football in southern New England that that the Giants own, like everybody else. She has the high school turf, right? How many towns have their basically their own youth football? You know what I?
Speaker 1:mean, yeah, so you know I'm all for it. Let's repair, let's bring it back to that lush state that we all enjoy, but a commitment with keeping people off. I would in, I mean not to. I don't want to sound like threatening, but if we do do that, and we see activity it would be my opinion we shut the thing down, right?
Speaker 5:no, we've we've been, uh, we've been communicating with our people about that. We understand that. You know, in order to you know, for us to get what we need, we're going to have to give a lot, uh, and part of that is staying off it. Right, we understand that. Um, you know, I, as a coach of one of the teams last year, I can tell you I did not use that field, I know there are some teams that did more often than others, but you know I came on as vice president last year.
Speaker 5:Ryan's been on for a while. I think together we're going to make a concerted effort to make sure that you know we are giving that field a chance to bounce back and be it. Be that. You know the lush, green, thick field that can all be thought of, and different.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know, it's like the painting that jeremy moleski did, you know years ago was starting to paint the field. Look the way they did, you know, with the hat. I don't know if you guys still do.
Speaker 1:I think you still do it we had it done a few times last year and just, it looks great yeah, and, but that's a green grass and that 50 yard line with the giant emblem in the middle, and I'm not saying the only thing that probably was not really good for the grass would be doing something like that, but it certainly didn't look good, didn't it you?
Speaker 5:know it's great. No, it's, uh, it always looks good. I I can tell you to your point, it's a source of pride. A lot of the towns we play have the for sure, and just last year was a tough year and I personally would like to see it get back to what it could be, because it is a source of community pride.
Speaker 5:It's, it's great being a representative and saying, hey, this is what this is a product you have your children to play on, and I'll be committed to making sure that we do everything possible to keep it that way.
Speaker 1:Okay. What do you guys have in mind as far as repairing it? What is your thought process?
Speaker 5:I think you know a couple of things. I really think definitely. First, some lunumen seed in that area is needed. You know, the only problem with that is the timeliness of it. We're going to be into really hot dry season soon, so the earlier we can get to that the better. You know. I know we've had maybe a little bit of issue with the irrigation and where it's going, and then we constantly battle the water restrictions.
Speaker 3:which is already out, yeah, so I I here we're restrictions are already out at this time for rain up center for uh every other day for residential yes, well, even that we got shut down a couple years ago by the uh the town. We were trying to water that, those fields as much as we could. The town came and shut us down when they were going through that whole PFAS and water treatment plant and talking about they shut us down, there was like no water in that all at that point in time.
Speaker 5:So I know we had discussed thinking about sourcing a well. I know soccer has a well.
Speaker 3:Soccer has a well. We have two wells on board in Conner that have been here for.
Speaker 1:Eons. Yes, water's not going anywhere, yeah.
Speaker 5:So I mean we could consider looking for a well that would kind of circumnavigate any water restrictions. I know that's something Ryan and I discussed about particularly being interested in, as you know, as we get, into that late summer season having you know, enough water on there while it's coming back is going to be really important to getting what we need on that deal. Important to getting what we need on that deal.
Speaker 1:So those are really three things that stand out as far as options for getting it back, and do you guys have financial resources to help?
Speaker 5:Yes, I don't have those figures, but me and Ryan would be best to have that. I know he'll be back next week, but if you can get on your schedule for me in the next session or if you want to you know, go to my law.
Speaker 3:We can meet during the month of May and then I can do an update report if you guys like, and Jim can meet, yeah, or, if you'd like, ryan to come in. I can get them on to Jim as well, yeah.
Speaker 1:I. Or, if you'd like Ryan to come in, I can get him on the June as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think we need to move quicker on that. Yeah, I would agree with that.
Speaker 5:I know he'll be back later in the week if you want to have a look.
Speaker 3:Yeah, let me check my schedule, because my wife's going traveling I'm away next week.
Speaker 5:Of course he knows the financial situation. We'll figure it out over the next. We'll get something going. That's a cool plan.
Speaker 1:We'll figure it out over the next. We'll get something going. A well would be great. Put in a line of irrigation down the middle of the field would be better.
Speaker 3:That's the one area where they don't have on that football field. All the irrigation on the football field is all on the perimeter, so it's that middle area that, even when you turn it up, doesn't get the proper amount of water. I know last summer.
Speaker 5:I noticed it when we had the softball tournament and I was prepping the fields at like 530 in the morning there was giant puddles outside of the perimeter and the middle was bone dry and I don't have something so long and I would think probably the best thing for that 50 yard line and maybe to talk to La Crosse about the goal mouth areas that get chewed up.
Speaker 1:I would saw them that's kind of the way that I looked at it when we started allowing La Crosse to use the field. I can't remember who the president was at the time, but we had a. We had agreement that if the goal mouse and the 50-yard line or their center fee I don't even know what they call it, I'm not familiar with us- but the goal mouse in the area where they do face us.
Speaker 1:If they became grassless and started to deteriorate, they were going to replace them with sod after their season was over. And then that sod and I think it's a you know moving forward even after I rebuild it, it's something that you know if that area is chewed up, instead of plant the loom and resting and not letting anybody in the area put some sod down, let that grow for a couple weeks and then go ahead and again, I mean, what's it cost? 500 bucks for a pallet of sod. You can do. You could do the 50-odd line over and over again, right? So I think that's probably the cheapest way. Is just, you know, like the Patriots do, when you're, when you're done using the grass and you want to turf down you know, yeah, bring dirt in from motorcycle races.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I agree. I know our field director can look to definitely get some focus on a few things, particularly that well, because I know it's something we've talked about sharing with baseball as well, so it would be a joint effort.
Speaker 1:There's a guy in town that digs wells. I don't know if he still does it.
Speaker 5:He's in Leto, I'm not sure if that was who he was talking to. I think that's right, but I think if it digs in La Crosse he'll be there.
Speaker 1:No guarantee it's a cheaper price. But he is in town, I appreciate it. Well, I guarantee it's a cheaper price, but he is in town.
Speaker 2:I appreciate it Well. Thank you for your time. Thank you for coming to us.
Speaker 1:Thanks for opening up lines of communication. Let's get going on it so you guys can have a nice facility, appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Speaker 4:So I just want to kind of piggyback I 100% agree with Chris. At the same time, I think we should kind of keep an eye on who does use the field. Yeah, because I do notice a lot of you know kids playing on it as I drive by. If we go this route, like what would the chances be of essentially shutting the field down For repairs, for repairs.
Speaker 3:We're going to do it.
Speaker 4:Because I don't want to see either organization waste money and during the summer, kids are out there playing pickup football.
Speaker 3:I mean it can be done. We can move camp to other outfields to shut it down. That is possible. You know we do the best we can because, unfortunately, you know after hours, you know baseball games going at night, kids want to go play. Go play pickle in the middle of the football field that we used to do growing up. Yep, you know they're out there running around. The best thing get some signs made, we chain the gates and we let all the organizations that are going to be involved baseballs are going to be out there more and you put a lot of baseballs.
Speaker 1:You put a sign in.
Speaker 5:It kind of deters people off.
Speaker 1:It's not going to stop it, but it will it.
Speaker 5:It's not gonna stop it but it'll deter it.
Speaker 3:Sorry, some of the we just have to be the group effort moving forward. You know, as we've all discussed here, but again it's, it's really gonna be on those nights and those weekends when everybody shows up and that's gonna be the time and unfortunately right now with being, really can't get it going until probably mid-June, until school is done. They are using that field quite a bit for gym class right now. So get some quotes about everything and take it from there. Do we have a timeline on how?
Speaker 2:long this project will take to approximately Like a rough estimate.
Speaker 4:Well, it will take a couple days to dig After you go through the Board of Health for the approval and everything else. That's what I mean, everything total. Does it take a long time to do that? When I was, I had an issue with mine a couple years ago. I want to say going through the Board of Health is probably the longest part and that was a few days, really, yeah, and then just getting the right quote and digging because you had to do electrical. That would have been the biggest expense and everything else was the electric part of it. Where would the nearest spot after you get the well? How far away is electric from there? It depends on where the well is.
Speaker 5:Right like right now do you have to get do?
Speaker 4:you have to bring power closer.
Speaker 3:I mean my guess is probably somewhere behind field five.
Speaker 4:The well is the easy part. It's everything else that goes with it.
Speaker 3:It goes with everything over. Here you go. You know Electra's gonna go through the field, which will cause a problem, but go around. All that on the outside is all paved, you know, especially like the access roads, so that can slow things down a little bit. But just to give you the heads up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the entire area behind the scoreboard, behind field step four, the softball field. Five, five, six, yeah, yeah, third access started behind it.
Speaker 5:Yeah, that come around. I mean yeah, that would be.
Speaker 1:If they could find water, that would be the place to put it yeah, you could actually maybe beside the.
Speaker 3:The baseball container over there, you know, right with a pit, is right there, so that might be. Yeah, that's why yeah you have electric back, yeah, glad you do, I'm glad you do, we can play baseball.
Speaker 2:There's plenty of them.
Speaker 5:But we will source those quotes. Okay, but I appreciate your time, dylan.
Speaker 3:Thank you for coming, thank you for having us Just have Ryan reach out to me and we'll talk All right, thanks, have a great season, thank you, thanks, alrighty.
Speaker 2:On to old business, clark.
Speaker 3:Softball Field. Just a quick update on Clark Softball Field. We have the quote signed. We're gonna be good to go. We're looking at probably in July, when it's most dry, might have like a week to 10 days interruption of the field, okay, but let's just get it done while it's more dry, because once it gets wet out there it's high for things to solidify Liberty Playground.
Speaker 3:Just a quick update. I have ordered the paint to re-coat all the playground decks. I'm just waiting for that to come in and then we'll get the guys out to get it painted. My goal and I have spoken to the company is the week between school ending and camping game. They said it should take about three to four days to get all the platform and decks done. So that's the goal for that week, which is the week of the 23rd.
Speaker 1:Are you talking decks? What are you talking about?
Speaker 3:The decks on the playground. You know the actual, like that's wearing away. You were talking about that where the kids walk on when they're actually on the playground.
Speaker 1:On the playground. Yes, I get confused. I thought you were talking about the pack-a-lot. Oh no, no, no.
Speaker 3:The deck's on the playground to get repainted. So you get that protective rubber.
Speaker 1:Redipped in that protective rubber.
Speaker 3:Yes, Our licensor. Again, we got our license from Merrill, but you did comment on that again, so the state is honest yeah.
Speaker 2:So we'll move on Rental property. Rental property.
Speaker 3:Just a quick update. I haven't gone back and forth with Greg. He wanted to make sure everything was good with boarding colony. Yeah, we are good to go.
Speaker 3:What we have to do is we have to make a decision. If we want go on a one-year lease, whoever does it, it does not have to go through procurement. If we do anything beyond a one-year lease, we have to go through that whole procurement process. So I want to make sure we I'm all for like doing one year, yeah, just yeah, I would prefer the new just a year to you. Yes, yeah, I'm all for doing one year. Yeah, I would prefer to do one year. So just a year to a year. Yes, I'm ready for that house. Yeah, get off my.
Speaker 2:Definitely that common paper Okay.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's it. How about a?
Speaker 3:process for it. The process would be we have I can pick one of the real estate agents that I got quotes from, like what they think, and one had the same price. We guys agreed to $2,500, and then I can put it on MLS, get it out there and we might just have a small fee to pay them for, like a one month fee for their services.
Speaker 3:Do we have to list it on MLS? We don't, according to Greg. He said that's probably the easiest way to do it, or we can just do our own open house and go from there.
Speaker 1:If memory serves, we already have people that are interested in it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's been a while since I talked to them. I'm all for it. If we just want to go that way, post it on the town hall wall.
Speaker 1:Call it a day, okay, instead of spending money and putting it out there. I mean, if we have people that are in town, that know about it and are interested in it, I think that would be easy. You know, yeah wrong having to deal with a real estate agent and paying them for their services and putting on mls. You might get overwhelmed. Overwhelmed because there's no housing right now. Everybody's looking for cheaper payments, yep, and that's a pretty reasonable price for that.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Yeah, I was actually in there again today. Stopped by once, once or twice a week just to check on you. Not gonna lie, I'm sick of going in. Leave the key, I'll go in on Saturday.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, Absolutely right on my desk for that Alrighty Before and after school care program.
Speaker 3:I already told you, we have our. Our mayoral license was renewed. Everything went very smooth, much easier over there than it was at Liberty, just because it's more of a more and more shared space inside the cafeteria there as well. And I also met with Ryan about a week and a half ago. I am pushing to expand the Liberty site inside the old back gym, if you can picture that, because that will be the easier process for us. If we go with the other one, we will not be ready for the start of the school year with all the steps that Steve and me can jump through. So Ryan's still trying to figure out how we can do it. I said I'm glad we can help you with some storage area. If we can get that stuff out of there and we can bring our licensor in, she doesn't seem to be a problem either. So that's the goal right now. So that's going to be something we're working on over the next couple of months and into the summer Horse over the next couple of months in the summer.
Speaker 3:Okay, alrighty Horse, ring, horse, ring as you guys know, we did walk the grounds with the state a couple of weeks ago. We did start with the horse ring and again the APR did not have an issue with reconfiguring the area that's on the soccer field, bringing in a little bit, turning that excess acreage to get the whole horse from the end. So that would be a big help for us. They're just worried that state lawmakers or lawyers might get in the way, but right now we're feeling very confident that we're gonna be fine with that. The only thing they did recommend is when the mass rough riders redo the ring. When they put up a new fence, they ask if they can move where the entrance is more to the other side. So they're not going to be going on APR land, they'll be coming in through rec land. That'd be the one. Yes, that's really it they're recommending on that side. Was there any questions? I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:I'm just trying to picture how the heck that's going to work. I think what we have to do is Because it's an oval, not a circle.
Speaker 3:I think you would have to go on the back side. There is some grass by the schoolboys on that side. If you're facing the schoolboy to the right, come in on that area.
Speaker 1:That would be my guess I'm not into barrel racing. I don't know much about it. I don't know how you'd enter that ring when you're not at the end of it. You're coming in through the side of it.
Speaker 3:And the only other option would be to do it on this side, but they'd be coming through the parking lot. Parking lot.
Speaker 1:That's why I looked queer and my eyes were going because I was picturing parking lot.
Speaker 3:You know, because with the parking lot I have spoken to them. You know when it's been very wet out there I get some pushback about using the parking lot for their horse because they don't want their the stone dust.
Speaker 1:Don't have the stone dust shoes on.
Speaker 3:Yeah, exactly, we've got to change them All, right Well yeah they're the experts.
Speaker 1:I would imagine you can get some questions when you're talking about that yeah, Absolutely Pachico basketball.
Speaker 2:what?
Speaker 3:Again we ran into the littering issue. Yeah, you know, we took some proactive steps, put some postings four postings up, spoke to the schools about the trash. The trash has been better since that point on. My biggest concern it's the first time it's happened is actual vandalism on the court. Yeah, that was unfortunate to see. I was able to get some graffiti and get it off of there. Was it chalk? Or paint.
Speaker 3:It was some sort of paint I really had to scrub to get that stuff off. Everybody's been warned. Baseball is very well aware. The other issue we got running into was some loud music. I told baseball what's going on during the game Some inappropriate music. You can go to the courts and tell them turn it off, guys, we have those signs up saying no loud music. If there's anything after that, let me know. Just alert the police to come on here and just give them a little heads up. They're not going to listen to us.
Speaker 2:All righty, anything else to add to that?
Speaker 1:No, Okay, I mean only like what my email said Yep, get in touch with baseball and softball and lacrosse and football and tell them we need their help. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Just a quick walk through Yep, do a police call afterwards with your families and pick up the trash after your people. Yeah, that's what it comes down to. Yeah, you make it their responsibility. I'm not saying they have to bring the trash to dumpsters or anything, but tie up the barrels. I mean, if you heard anything about barrel trash, being too much.
Speaker 3:No, the barrels get cleaned out twice a week by the town. You know, every time that I'm cleaning up the courts, you know the plating of the barrels, it's just pure laziness yeah, that's the best way I can tell.
Speaker 4:So in those pictures that was 100% concession stand food yes, so there's no reason why, like Chris said, they can't just do hey, it's your kids, it's your people. Just a quick walkthrough.
Speaker 1:Well, they have like a director on every night. That's down at this, you know, monitoring and managing the areas that they're using. That's part of their responsibility. Five minutes to pick up.
Speaker 4:Throw it in the gator and put it in the trash. Yeah, the dumpster's right there, yeah, across the street, throw it away, and we all know that the parents that are on call and they have kids that want to drive the Gator.
Speaker 1:Don't let the kids drive the Gator until there's a bad accident. It's happened a couple years ago.
Speaker 3:It happens, it does, it's happened before oh yeah, yeah. Yeah, it happened a couple years ago. All righty Gator, we didn't buy that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I thought baseball, what that means.
Speaker 3:Different gate and it's down at the highway, okay, all right, I enjoy driving. Driving, that's not a story. Yeah, new business Ruda lease, arruda lease I mentioned to you guys I was reached out by Brandon Arruda, tony's nephew. Yeah, who wants to take over the lease? Yeah, the Arruda lease did expire last year, so we do need to update it, but Tony always did a great job for us out there.
Speaker 3:He did, yeah, and the arrangement we made back in 2019, I'm not sure if you remember Chris is, instead of paying somebody to come and cut, he cut the entire field for us in exchange for his 14 1⁄2 acres that he leased from the town. Brandon my conversation with him wants to continue that. So my recommendation would be, if you go to the town and say we want to do a new lease with Brandon and continue the same terms we had, because it does work, instead of paying money out yeah, I think we're paying $8,000, and that was many years ago just to get the fields cut by Lopes right. Yeah, he's going to have that. Yeah, so I think that's the best option for all of us.
Speaker 1:It's too bad we can't get a farmer in here that actually wants to plant a crop. Yeah, you know, but I understand that.
Speaker 3:You know they have concerns about the area when it comes to growing, yeah. But you know we've got to cut a couple times last year just to get, because at some point they cut it earlier in the year. Some spots were just too wet so we had to get somebody to come back out. Especially with all the monitoring we've had on board and calling here over the past couple of years with the public safety building, we want to keep that nice and neat.
Speaker 1:And it's going to get wetter when they put that building in All right and not be in the there, all right.
Speaker 2:Could not be any in the hay. Very true, all right. Lions Club Liquor.
Speaker 3:The Lions Club reached out to me actually a couple weeks ago with a liquor license permit for May 14th. It was after our meeting, yeah, so I did send off a letter to the selectmen as well. Yeah, we have no conflicts next Wednesday night. That would cause any problems for a one-day liquor license. So I would recommend we give them that liquor license and then we also have another one that just came in over the weekend for the annual clam boil on Sunday June 8th, and we have no conflicts back on that day either. So I will make a motion to approve both liquor licenses.
Speaker 1:I'll make a motion. I'll make a motion To recommend the selectmen approve those two liquor licenses. Second All in favor, aye, so voted. You're really confusing me. We're like in reverse position. You've got to get used to it.
Speaker 2:You've got a year of this. I know I, so both of you are really confusing me. We're like reverse position. You've got to get used to it. You've got a year of this. I know I'm looking forward to the challenge.
Speaker 1:Good thing is you can watch this meeting over and over again on YouTube when it's posted Exactly, is it on YouTube?
Speaker 4:now it's getting harder to find them, though. No, it's on the Radio Jam channel. Yeah, it's gone. Is it on?
Speaker 2:YouTube. No, it's on the Radio Channel. Yeah, it's gone. It's on both now. Okay, you can stream it. Like a lot of them, you can stream live too. We're not doing live. We're not doing live. Anyway, if you want live, you've got to be here in person. I'm getting off topic. All righty, fall field permits.
Speaker 3:We do have some permits. Unfortunately it's going to be a little confusing. The first one's for the USA Prime Hitmen. They're looking for a two-season permit. Unfortunately, rybsa is using McKinney and their times vary, so nothing really works. I think we have to put a hold on this one because they still don't have their summer schedule put together yet for their travel. So I don we have to put a hold on this one because they still don't have their summer schedule put together yet for their travel. So I don't want to approve anything for the Hitmen until we know what days on the weekends they can use that. So I would recommend we put a hold on this first one. Has the Hitmen been around? I've never heard of them. They combined with another team. I can't remember. They were out of Bridgewater Perkins Street, yeah.
Speaker 1:Perkins Ave. I know Well anybody with an email of shake and bake 323,. We just have to pause for a moment.
Speaker 3:I did tell them nothing was guaranteed because RYVSA has the fields. So at this time I'll let them know. But at this time we just can't prove this one. We can look at it again in June, alrighty. The next one we have is for Daniel Farias. He's an out-of-town resident, wants to get pickup soccer going. He did run into a conflict with Ray Hume Youth Soccer the first Friday in April because the fields were all unused on Friday nights. I did tell them fields will not be available on Friday nights until we get to the end of June, early July, with Ray Hume Youth Soccer and they don't have insurance, and they don't have insurance.
Speaker 2:I think so Okay. Motion to approve. No, they have no chance. I will motion it. Okay, but you don't have to make a motion to deny, deny, yeah, no, okay, I just wanted you, in case anybody says that's why I'm running this before you guys Gotcha, okay, yeah, no, no, that's the way to do it.
Speaker 1:Thank you Tim.
Speaker 3:The next one, rainham Giants Cheerleading. They got their permit in bright and early this year. They're looking for really just a one month permit this year on a couple of the baseball fields. Last year we had them on fields three and five in the outfield during football practice, so it would be the what I can call the old softball field to the right of the Mer Merrill school. That's the softball field and I was growing up all right, yeah, that's three, that's three. And then field five is the other, the other one which is the baseball field, that's one directly behind down a vet court field, and so they use those two, all fields for their practices and we had no problems last year All right, yeah, cool, I'll make a motion to approve the Rainham Giants cheerleading permit Second All in favor, aye Aye, so voted.
Speaker 3:The last one and I did reach out to them today. So the Mass Drifters they were looking at doing a clinic on the 14th through the 16th of July. I did speak to RYVSA. They do have a softball tournament going on the weekend before, with the 14th being a rain date, and they haven't received their summer schedule yet for softball. So again, this one's on. I recommend we hold this one until June. I told the drifters that early August would be the best for them, but it didn't really seem to work for them at that time. Especially if we end up shutting down the football field, we're going to need those other fields for the kids in their playground time. Actually, I do have one more. I apologize. Sure, maybe. Yes, we have a permit for June 1st for the Gazebo Field for a wedding ceremony. Okay, it is out of town. We've had a couple of these requests in the past, if you don't remember, in the past we have approved but the wedding's never happened and we have approved. We asked for $100 for the charge.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that's a reasonable A motion to approve Ms McGee's permit for the gazebo $100.
Speaker 2:Second All in favor. Aye, aye, so voted Alrighty Commissioner's report. Mr Stroud, you got anything special you'd like to add to that? You mean the number one top vote getter in the town.
Speaker 3:Wow, you're a celebrity now. Not a select one, though. Select person, I'm sorry. Select board, select board person. That's on the agenda for our voting, but if I'm on a, select board.
Speaker 1:What am I? A select board member? Yeah, I guess so.
Speaker 3:You're a member and then, if you're the chairman, you're the select board chairman. Select board chairman. Yeah, that's how it would go.
Speaker 1:I'd vote Select plank. I like that.
Speaker 3:It's like a board but it's a plank.
Speaker 1:Whatever you want when you're on it. No want we are. Um, no, I really. I mean, I think we've gone through a lot tonight, but my only comment is the our VSA's installation of the yellow all the other top of the fence. Yes, the behind area. Yes, that's coming, but those, the ones that they put up there, are much better than the other ones. Yes, when it comes to bees.
Speaker 3:Yes, and the other ones, as you remember, were cracking, yeah, but they did a good job.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I noticed that it looks like they're working through all the fields. Yeah, it looks nice it looks good.
Speaker 2:We'll get to that. I'll tell you, mr Erickson. Anything special? I don't believe so. I don't believe so. I'd just like to add I helped out with the Easter Icon the annual Easter Icon a few weeks ago, and I just wanted to express a wonderful job Tim and his staff did during the event. It was a great class, great crowd. You know there's many activities, you know inside too, the petting zoo, arts and crafts and all that fun stuff. And I think, luckily, we just made it through the rain too, just barely.
Speaker 3:First time in three years, we have to do it inside, so I think it was a win.
Speaker 2:It was a great weekend weather-wise, so you know, and I'd like to thank the boy for trusting me and being champion for the next year. Privilege to do it. So Like that as well, it'll be great. Thank you, and you, what do you got to report to us today?
Speaker 3:The first thing I have is a scholarship came in after I had the agenda done. That was what we have here. We have a family that's looking for a scholarship for the summer. Looking through all their paperwork, I would recommend a scholarship. I would say a 75% scholarship would be good for this family for the summer. Thank you, 75% scholarship will be good for his family for the summer. 75%, huh, that's my recommendation. That's my recommendation. Yes, sir.
Speaker 1:I'll make a motion to adopt Tim's recommendation Second All in favor.
Speaker 2:motion to adopt Tim's recommendation.
Speaker 4:Second All in favor. Aye Submitted. Okay, tim, with the scholarships, the one we talked about last month. Yes Is that squared away.
Speaker 3:We're actually still trying to finish that up. We finally got all the paperwork in and she is the individual is aware that there is that $25 fee that we discussed to make sure that she did agree to that. Yes, just a couple of minor things on my end town meeting is scheduled for May 19th. I gave you guys a copy of the draft which is going to be approved officially tonight at the selectors meeting. That's the whole warrant. That's the whole warrant. Yes, oh, thanks, man, no problem, everything will be looked at. We have Article 5, which is the budget, which you guys have seen. We also have Article 6, which is going to be the guys have seen. We also have article 6, which is going to be the school issue, and also the MBTA Act is going to be on there as well.
Speaker 2:So it could be a long night yeah, it's going to be a night, full evening. Short sell.
Speaker 3:And that is it for me, oh are we going into executive session?
Speaker 1:Yeah, someone can make the motion. Motion we go into adjourn, not adjourn this meeting, suspend this meeting and enter into an executive session.
Speaker 2:Second All in favor Aye, so voted.