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Parks and Recreation 06/02/2026
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(Episode Description is AI generated and may be errors in accuracy)
Summer schedules get tight fast, and when a town’s fields are the shared backyard for everyone, the smallest decisions can have big ripple effects. We walk through a fast-moving parks and recreation commission meeting where the calendar is packed, the summer program is already full, and every new request has to be weighed against safety, fairness, and field recovery time.
We dig into updated one-day liquor license requirements that affect fundraisers and community events, including the need for insurance coverage, TIP-certified staffing, and alcohol purchased through a distributor. If you’ve ever helped run a civic event, you’ll recognize how these “small” policy shifts change planning, vendors, and liability, and why consistent enforcement matters before the first guest shows up.
Then we get into the heart of it: field use permits. Several requests are straightforward and get approved, including a special needs youth police academy program, a PTO celebration with clear rules to protect the grounds, and popular youth soccer clinics and camps. But one proposed multi-week sports camp stops us in our tracks, raising questions about whether it’s truly run through the school district, who it serves, how registration works, where the money goes, and what daily high-volume use could do to non-irrigated fields in mid-summer.
We close with practical operations updates that show what it really takes to keep recreation running, from irrigation leaks and field lights to paving, crosswalk safety, fence replacement, fertilizing, and momentum around the community garden. If you care about youth sports, municipal governance, and protecting public spaces, this one will hit home. Subscribe, share with someone who runs a program, and leave a review, then tell us: what should a fair field-use policy require?
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Call To Order And Agenda
SPEAKER_05I'm gonna start the meeting at um 6.02 p.m. Um number one on the agenda reorganization of the commission. Um and comes back so we'll leave it just there. Um I ran into his um wife actually recently and they don't have a date yet.
SPEAKER_06So unfortunately it can't be more than twelve months. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05When did he leave it on? Twelve months.
Approving The May Meeting Minutes
SPEAKER_05So um already, next on the agenda, approval of the minutes in the May 5th meeting. You want to take a second to approve? Awesome. I'll second that motion. I'll take it. Aye. Aye, so move it. Organization representatives, town officials, and familiar members doesn't look like we've got another.
Summer Program Is Full
SPEAKER_04Just want to let you know, guys, we are completely full, ready to go. We started on June 29th. Uh seven weeks of fun, craziness. You know, thanks to Bethany for help as well, and uh we're ready to go. And anybody that wants to get on our wait list, just call the office and we'll get you on that wait list.
SPEAKER_05And uh we're good
One-Day Liquor License Rule Changes
SPEAKER_05to go. Alrighty, on to new business, uh, liquor license.
SPEAKER_04Liquor license. So the town has heard from the state and is changing the requirements for one-day liquor license. We can still accept liquor license requests as we've been doing in the past. Yeah. One thing I'm going to be alerting, and this is going to be coming more from the Board of Selectmen's Office, or Select Board's office, excuse me, uh, that every group that applies obviously has to have their own insurance cover in case any damages. They need to make sure they have at least one person that is TIP certified. There is a certification course online, so each group can get it done. And alcohol now must come from an actual distributor. So, like groups like the Lions Club have to bring something instead of them going out buying their alcohol and bringing it in, they have to go through those particular steps. But that's something the select board will monitor and keep track of that. Just to give you guys a heads up, we'll have a much bigger list going forward for any vector licenses in the future.
SPEAKER_06I don't think that's a change. I think that's the only time where alcohol has to come from the distributor.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, they've never had the problem with it. We've, you know, the it's never been enforced, but now it's it's really come down, so we have to make sure we monitor that situation rule before we go into this part of his office.
SPEAKER_02But we can still do our recommendations, what we would always have.
SPEAKER_05Alrighty.
Summer Field Permits Start Here
SPEAKER_05Um to spring and summer field use permit applications.
SPEAKER_04Uh the first we have is uh the BR sports camp run by David Glazer. It's right, I did speak to him, it is run through the district. Yeah. Um they're looking to use the RMS baseball field, soccer, football fields, upper fields for their programs. Uh there is some conflict with uh the police uh jocks camp, so I made sure that they cannot use that area while the jocks are out there. Yeah, but they have usually done this in Bridgewater, but this year it got shifted to Rainham. Okay.
SPEAKER_06Well, they're requesting it to be shipped to Rainbow.
SPEAKER_04Yes. Exactly. They have the inside, but they don't have the outside yet. So these are the uh the place you see listed is what I got from them, is what they're charging. Uh what is this thing? It's uh it's a summer camp? It's a summer sports camp they do. They usually run it out of bridgewater, you know, for various sports baseball, soccer, football, and they look for three weeks. Where's the money go? According to what I was told, because I did ask that question, is it's a program through the district. I think it's kind of similar to how we run our program. You know, we're doing our child care, we get charged for use of the buildings. So, you know, it's at your discretion, but a charge of use of fields could be in order in this case. 160 for one week, 300 for two weeks, 430 for three weeks.
SPEAKER_06That's what they're charging for a student?
SPEAKER_04Yes.
SPEAKER_06Without any more, I I I would I would like more information. Okay. You know. I would agree with that too. I mean, run through the district. He's saying it's running.
SPEAKER_04He's saying it's run through, it's it's a school camp. That's what it's called.
SPEAKER_06Can we table it?
SPEAKER_05Absolutely. All right. I'll second that motion. I'll table. Okay.
SPEAKER_04So what it just so you know, making you guys aware, what they did is this has already been sent out. They sent out before the check for us because they were they didn't realize they had to go through the parking lot commission. So I got involved then because somebody got involved.
SPEAKER_06Clued you in? Yes. Yeah. Based on that alone, uh, I mean it's tabled, so we'll discuss it again, maybe after the rest of the permits. Yep, absolutely.
Special Needs Police Academy Approved
SPEAKER_04Okay, so the next one we have is uh the Ringham Police Department. They're doing a one-day youth special needs police academy uh on August 21st from 10 to 2. Uh just a little use the Armist track. Uh and no charge. It's one of their uh police department's uh summer programs that aren't this track. I had no problem with it. No.
SPEAKER_03What are they doing exactly? Uh with special needs police. Yeah, I think what they're gonna do is probably what we did in our camp last year, you know. Are they dealing are they dealing with children with disabilities? Yes. With learning disabilities? Uh from what I understand, it could be any kind of special needs.
SPEAKER_04Okay programming. You know, just place a little like police academy kind of thing. Yeah, things like that. So she did it with our uh our summer camp last year. The kids had a lot of fun here. But I sent you guys a picture of when I got arrested last year. Oh, yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_05So I'm motion to approve. I'll second down motion. All on paper? I submit it.
SPEAKER_04Uh the next one we have is the Merrill PTO
PTO Party Rules For Field Safety
SPEAKER_04group. Uh they're looking at doing their uh end-of-the-season party uh using the Merrill parking lot and uh Burke baseball outfield. Uh basically they're it's like their step-up end-of-the-year celebration. They're gonna bring in you know some bouncies, things like that, you know, games for the kids to play. Uh we do it every year. I just remind them there's no stakes in the ground. They need to use sandbags to hold down any bounces they bring in, or you know. It's the same thing they do every year. Yeah. So, but just a different group, so I just have to reinforce with them because as the PTOs move up. So, but yeah, no conflicts because it's during the school day and uh no charger.
SPEAKER_05I had no problem with that. Motion. Uh I'll send you that motion on paper. I separate it.
SPEAKER_03And the wow. Yes, I did hear that.
SPEAKER_04I did hear that one. Okay. I think a lot of districts are going in that direction right now.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, everybody basically each district is attacking the other for money. It's disgusting.
SPEAKER_04Yep.
Youth Soccer Summer Use Approved
SPEAKER_04Uh the last one we have is for Ranger Use Soccer, their annual summer permit, uh, Monday through Friday for their practices and clinics, and their annual uh two soccer camps they do every year for uh reindeer view soccer, uh, the week of July 20th and the week of August 3rd. They're asking for two fields. Normally in the summer, the way we've been running it the past few years with BP using the uhuda fields, shutting down three fields and leaving the griffice open. They're asking for multi-purpose to be available as well. Uh I'd like to keep it just on the griffice field so let everything else rest, but wanted to get your thoughts on using that. They said their camps and clinics have gotten very popular. And in the past we have not charged for these programs. And it is for radium new soccer kids only.
SPEAKER_05Motion approved? I'll second that motion. All in favor?
SPEAKER_04All right, all right, so that is it for new
Questions Around The Sports Camp
SPEAKER_04permits. If we want to come back to the uh VR sports camp. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06This isn't unified sports, right? No.
SPEAKER_04And the way uh the flyers showed up, it's open to any any kid, any grade school kid. They're not specify towns, they're not specify anything. So it could be kids coming from other other districts at play. As well. Is this your camp? Or is this the school district's camp? And they told me it's a school district's camp. Well, what kind of account does the money go into now? It's probably gonna go into like their programming, and the money goes to pay for him. My my guess is to pay for him and the staff's time, you know, because they're gonna pay people to be there. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06I mean that they have zero information on their website about it. The school district. Yeah. There was more, let me see where I can find. It's disturbing to know that they did that, knowing that we run a summer camp. So basically trying to start a or run their competitive pro their competitor program in town, that's that's disturbing in and of itself. Um I don't, you know, I'm sure it was just an oversight, not understanding that they need to request permission to use facilities because of the feeling of ownership that the district has in regards to the fields because of their the lease agreement with the towns.
SPEAKER_04And what's interesting though, she's gonna make it uh RMS right now is they've had a turnover. So we've had, you know, a new principal this year, new everything. So I've had that talk to them a few times now, though. During the school day, whatever you want to do in the field, it's yours. Once you get outside of school time and school sports are done, Department of Recogn oversees the fields. Yeah. So it's summertime. You know, in summertime, you know, at night, things like that.
SPEAKER_06So and this is like I I I think if I remember correctly, I I think I forget her first name, I'm sorry, but uh Mrs. Chocker used to run this program in Bridgewater. Okay. At the middle, at the current middle school, the old high school, she used to run, she ran this program for years. I don't I'm sure she's probably retired by now, but if it's the pro if it's the program I'm thinking of, it's that program. Yeah. I don't understand why they're wanting to do it in raining this year.
SPEAKER_04I don't know. I've always heard it wasn't Bridgewater, it's the first year they got some rain. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05I know the well that this is trash.
SPEAKER_04She always did so. This is uh he's the gym teacher at RMS.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I knew that. That's why I don't know. I actually think he was I had him as a teacher there, didn't you?
SPEAKER_04Because in Bridgewater, the way they run it, is fields at the schools at all times has to go through the district, it has to go through them, but when it comes to Radium, everything changes. And it's always been that way in Radium that we oversee fields during non-school times.
SPEAKER_06If I were to approve this motion, it would be with the with the required $2,500 field use permits for full fields for a season. That would be my that if I were to make the motion. I'm just talking out loud now, right?
SPEAKER_05I'm not making any motions, but I just feel like we don't know enough about the program. I I agree with you.
SPEAKER_06Yeah. I'd like to learn more about it. I mean, I know what it is, it's a summer camp program that they run for as long as my kids were young school age. That uh Mary, I think it was Mary Chaka ran forever. You know, it was her little summer side game, right? Um but again, where's the money go? Um but then we're already we have a summer pro summer camp program in Radium already. But we're full.
SPEAKER_04We're a full. So then these but ours is just for radium. This is this program, according to what I'm still trying to see if I can find the flyer. Yeah, it's it comes from other districts, and actually I might be able to find the flyer.
SPEAKER_03I mean those those middle school fields, they they they're not irrigated.
SPEAKER_04They they no, they're not. And once you get past, we get through baseball season, like in the schools, that infield becomes grass. You know, it all grows in because nobody plays out there in the summertime. Right, right, right.
SPEAKER_06I just don't I don't know what type of what other programs do we have permitted to use those fields over summertime.
SPEAKER_04Over summertime we have a uh we have the jocks uh speed camp. There are a coup a couple weeks there. The fields, uh just uh just softball uh for uh John uh sorry, Joe Riarty, the uh he's the only one he uses that three nights a week and Rain Hammy, I'm sorry, he uses that four days a week at night, and Rain Hammy's baseball uses the softball field as well three nights a week.
SPEAKER_06Right. Again, I'm just concerned about the possible damage to the fields if we're have a hundred kids playing on it every day during the summer. Because that's more use than there would be during the school, yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Here's just the registration format. Yeah, go ahead.
SPEAKER_06Yeah. This is passed out to the kids through the school. Yes.
SPEAKER_04But to your point, it's not true. It's not paid in the school. The registration goes through a different way than that. There's the gyms that are inside and outside. Do they have to pay for jail? You know, it's during the school day. When the schools are when the schools are, since the jams are there, they'll have to pay for a custodian to stick around. Since they'll they're open for cleaning purposes. Like when we pay our bill for summer, we pay for the custodian to stay after three o'clock. And they get the child's three hours a day.
SPEAKER_02So we pay approximately for summer, for example.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, that could have been an absolute cluster path.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_06Had they started this camp without your knowledge for the schedule for this.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_06I can say that, right? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05It's employee. Um I just very vague information, I feel like. I I think I I can't I this have you. I don't I don't know this fellow than to teach it for the new. I mean I know who we have.
SPEAKER_04He's a nice guy. I I've I've dealt with a few times. But you know, we have our policies of you know, field usage. You know, it's it's not just rain ham kids. It's kids from Bridgewater, it can be kids from Middlewall. That's another, that's another you know. I mean, there's no if ands or buts, and as we said, if you go into the school website, it's not showing there.
SPEAKER_05So if it's a school thing, then why is it open to uh communities that are in Bridgewater and Rainham?
SPEAKER_04Like our program, we started off with just rain cam kids. So we you know just yesterday we uh you know I have a couple Bridgewater people that I had somebody bounced out, I let them take that spot to fill it out because it fit right for a half-day program.
SPEAKER_06But overall we have a wait list right now? Yes. Is it is an app? I mean do we have numbers on do we have people on the week?
SPEAKER_04We have people on the wait list for certain weeks. Yes, we do. Because some weeks have more fields they want to go on compared to different weeks.
SPEAKER_06What are we talking about? For numbers.
SPEAKER_04Uh 120 weeks.
SPEAKER_06No, wait listed.
SPEAKER_04Uh depends on the week, anywhere from some weeks two to three, some weeks ten plus. You know, all depends on the various weeks. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06But we have other towns that have been calling as well, but I don't like to really let them in unless I like that there's another option for families to have in town. Again, my concerns are overcrowding the facilities, wear and tear to those fields that don't have the same um care that the rest of the fields have because it's a water aquifer. Um those are my biggest the money thing is what whatever. I mean, if people want to pay that. That's that's on that. But I don't understand how the money flows if it goes through the school district to the whoever's coaching and teaching. But I I just I I I I gotta sound too much.
SPEAKER_04If you if you want, you know, we could I could reach out to Ryan tomorrow. Send him an email, see what information I get from him, or I could reach back out to Dave and say, you know, we need to know where this money's going, how it's being distributed, because if this is a camp that's not going through the district, really going through just somebody that took over the camp, and he's the one making the money, if that's the case, they absolutely should be charged. But if it's going through the district, you know, that's that's a whole other story. But again, when we use facilities for them for overtime, we do get charged. Whether it's for child care, whether it's for weekends, and they have to open the school for basketball, of course, we do get those bills from the school.
SPEAKER_06Don't take any action on it if you're gonna hear about it. We deny it before we're gonna hear about it. Because what they did I want to make sure we're doing the right thing.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. They sent us out when until before I even knew about it. So this was sent out, so I don't know how many kids have signed up for this program. I have no idea. Unless my guess is if it was get denied, they're gonna try to move it over to Bridgewater. That's my personal guess, no. That's where it's always been. Yeah. I sent to Bridgewater.
SPEAKER_05So we well um I'm just thinking when's our next meeting July. July seven. Oh, so we'll be cut into already, yeah. That's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_04I mean that's thirty-five hours a week. Yeah. Because the only action, in my opinion, that won't get any pushback from them is we approve no charge. But I I think we have to charge something.
SPEAKER_06You know, oh absolutely charging four hundred and thirty dollars for three weeks for a kid that played kickball? Yeah. Sorry. Three weeks, $130.
SPEAKER_04And that's you know, that doesn't that they're all on site, you know, compared to what we do our program, we're busy, we're going on field trips, all that's included. I mean, this is just really paying for you know your staff and the supplies are already there, so they're not buying supplies. Yeah, they're really there on site.
SPEAKER_06I don't know where the money's going other than in someone's market. So I don't know. I just I just I'm not gonna make a motion on it.
SPEAKER_05I agree with you. I what's the do we just deny deny it or have we just don't take any action? Don't take any action, okay.
SPEAKER_06We don't have to deny it, we don't have to approve it, but we can take no action, yeah.
No Action Until Details Arrive
SPEAKER_06And if they want to come back with something, maybe you can share it with us in an email and maybe we can vote on it that way if that's something.
SPEAKER_04But I think that would I think that's the best way to do that.
SPEAKER_06I think you have our concerns, what we're concerned about. Um so would be my recommendation, Tim, is that we contact the the permit applier and let them know that we didn't take any action on it because we had too many questions. Be more than happy to readdress it through unconventional meeting if uh if we can get those questions answered or at least I mean we can at least give an answer to it and we can vote officially at a July meeting.
SPEAKER_04Yep, yep, absolutely. So, okay, so I'm gonna ask them, you know, where's the money going? How many kids are you gonna have? Are they in district, are they out of district? I you know, we have concerns about the feet, you know, 100 kids running on the football field. It's been in the middle of summer with no irrigation. We don't we haven't had a chance to compost those fields in years because of the lack of help that we we haven't had, you know, on the highway side. So yeah, those that field takes a beating.
SPEAKER_06That's something else we should probably start to discuss too is finding a way to get that that well going. That the well going and but then also get some natural fertilizer or composting done. If we can't, if the town doesn't have the staff to do it, then we should just pay for it. Okay. Right? Yeah, that's what we're doing. I mean I don't know what what it would cost to get that accomplished, but um what we need to we need to maintain those fields.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_06But space is becoming a an issue. Oh yeah. Softball now needing to use the softball field, and I mean you know more than we do on the commission, how space is so tight, right?
SPEAKER_04You know, that's why it's it's tough when you know Wingham Sports, it's great to see have have really expanded on all fronts. You know, all of these are great, but then you get all these uh club teams that come in and out of left field, and a lot of times they thought we just don't have the space. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05So alrighty.
Community Garden Video Greenlight
SPEAKER_05Uh commissioners reports. Nothing. Um I do not have anything either, other than um, yeah, I thought it was nice that uh Radio New Baseball and Fire and Police they had their um game the other night. I thought that was a nice, you know, fine event. But we shouldn't know about it. Oh my god. Um but you know, so think Radio and Fire and Police for, you know, being involved in um Karen McLean who coordinated it. Yep. Um but other than that, nobody can report. Sammy, you got anything to like?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um just that I think that um with the commission's permission where where you can wanted to do a show on the community garden, um, which is just like our basic three-minute video that we do on events around town. Um I'd be filming off parking rack time, obviously it would be more on weekend or after on Friday, so we don't want to interfere with parking rack hours if that's okay for you guys. Um, we just want to, since the garden filled up this year, we want to keep the momentum going and really show the town what it's about. And people are starting to already grow some stuff out there, so it should be for a nice video. I have no problem with that.
Leaks Lights Paving And Fence Work
SPEAKER_00Well that's it for me. Thank you.
SPEAKER_04Awesome. Uh just to give you guys a couple of quick updates. Uh I have the plumbers coming back up tomorrow to Parkfield uh to fix the sprung leak from Friday afternoon. Yeah. Big thanks to uh Frank Michiko who was in the area that heard the public sound. Uh we got the watershed off, we turned the power off. Uh yesterday the plums came out, figured out where the leak was. We're actually going to move some of that equipment inside the shed so we can put up a wall in case it ever goes again so it protects the electrical panel. And last night TMOP did uh re-energize the field, so next week the lights will be good to go for Monday night soft wall. Uh met with the uh the paving contractor this morning uh regarding the cool for the driveway, the rental property. Still waiting to hear what the price is. I have a rough estimate in my head what it's going to be, anywhere from $7,000, $9,000 is rough in my head. Yeah. Just not the park going here, just from the road to the garage. If we did that all the way around, that'd be a big money project, even more.
SPEAKER_06Well, I just I just did mine last year, isn't it? Oh, really? Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And Norm said uh he you know, maybe we could mill the other side, you know, to make that better. Right. Yeah, get it all done. Yeah. We'll do something like that. Once I get that price, then I'll let you guys know if we can get it done before the end of the fiscal year. I'd love to, if it if the price is right.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Uh over the next month or so, you're gonna see uh after they did the road here, we're gonna put a crosswalk in from our side of the road to the other side with flashes to make it a little more safe and we're going across the street and things like that. So uh good to know. All irrigation is turned on, we've got to fix a few heads, but the fields are getting water Monday through Friday. Uh I mentioned these guys last month, but uh starting Friday, we're gonna start tearing down the fence up here along uh Olsen's farm. The guy's gonna do about five to six hundred feet on Friday afternoon. Next week, we're gonna be doing black chambering, about four foot high from Olsen's all the way around beyond the community garden on the outside. My fence federal fence has been there since God knows how long. I call it the tetanus fence. You cut in hand, you're getting a tetanus shot. Yeah. So, and uh also I want to thank Olson's. They're gonna put in some new uh spigots for us at the community garden, the one with sprucing up the entryway. And uh while we were there today, you know, getting the uh look at the driveway, I did get a good look at the old sheds we use for the farm stand. Those things need some serious TLC. You know, that's something we may have to look at probably after the season, but maybe doing some repairs to those, just to give the heads up. But get some rotting boards and things like that. It's time. We'll save them in there since God knows how long.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, because it's something we want to even it's nice having that bonus market there. Absolutely. It really is nice.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, we do a nice job, man. Yeah, starting this weekend, next weekend they'll be up there. Yeah, and it'll be uh Thursday through Sunday. So and uh just so you know we're doing our next round of uh fertilizing uh June
Fertilizing Schedule And Wrap-Up
SPEAKER_0423rd and 24th. We're gonna start a boarding colony because the schools are in session uh on the 23rd, and then we'll do the metal complex on the 24th. Besides that, that's it for me.
SPEAKER_05Alrighty.