Present: John Aubin, Cam Brown, Paul Campagna, Bob
White, John Chamberlin, Mary Danko, Barry Harwick, Mike Jackson,
Peter Krass, Buff McClaughry, Kathy Parsonnet, Larry Pilchman,
Hilary Pridgin, Geoffrey Vitt.
Note: Dennis Kaufman is not serving on the committee
and Brian Livingston submitted his resignation.
The following issues were discussed and actions taken:
Community Input
At the invitation of the committee, Julia Griffin, Hanover
Town Manger; Jill Kearney, Norwich Recreation Department Director;
and Bob Ceplikas, Dartmouth Assistant Athletic Director, provided
their perspectives on the fields situation, including any
current or future opportunities to share facilities.
Their presentations were filmed by CATV and the tape will
be available at both Norwich and Hanover public libraries
for viewing.
Julia Griffin's Report: Julia
shared a document that detailed Hanover’s field inventory
(this document is available online and at the public libraries).
She emphasized that the town's recreation department is facing
a shortage of fields due to the tri-party agreement.
However, she said there might be an opportunity to share some
field space, including Thompson Terrace, prior to 4:45 PM
during the week. Her concern was that the recreation
department relies on volunteer coaches who schedule practices
to suit their own schedule, so it is difficult to know what
fields are available prior to a season beginning. Poor
weather also disrupts the schedule and makes it imprudent
to commit to sharing.
Jill Kearney's Report: Jill
stressed the fact that Norwich recreation is also tight on
field space. Over the next four years there will be
renovation and expansion going on at Huntley Meadows that
will result in four fields being available to meet recreation
needs. She could make no promises on being able to share
fields and she has had to turn away groups looking to use
the fields. Because Norwich recreation also relies on
volunteer coaches, Jill does not know the teams’ schedules
until the season begins which makes it difficult to commit
to sharing. She also stated that there is a need to
rest fields so they are not ruined from overuse. As
for the tennis courts, Jill said they are still available
for the Dresden tennis team's use.
Bob Ceplikas's Report: Bob
began his talk by stating that there is a tremendous participation
rate in NCAA and intramural sports at Dartmouth and they are
looking to expand/maximize their field space. In addition,
construction work at Dartmouth will be taking fields offline
and the athletic department is concerned about resting fields,
so they are experiencing a shortfall in field space.
Dartmouth can promise nothing in terms of sharing and the
current sharing of Fullington Field is very tenuous.
Also, there are NCAA guidelines that restrict high schools
and colleges from practicing on the same field (see attached
document that was shared with the committee). Bob did
say that Dartmouth would continue to host a variety of community
events (see attached document that was shared with the committee).
Review of Process for 2004 Bond Vote
So that committee members are fully aware of the nuts and
bolts of bringing a bond vote before the public, Geoffrey
Vitt, Dresden school board member, walked through the actions
taken by the prior fields committee. This included their
information gathering, communication with public, and design
of fields.
Overview of AFC Timeline
Kathy Parsonnet reviewed the committee’s timeline of
major events/activities to undertake if the committee desired
to bring a bond vote before the public in Fall 2005.
There was some debate as to the merits of having a bond vote
earlier in the fall like September versus early November.
The consensus leaned toward a later date. Spring 2006
also remains an option.
Discussion turned toward what kind of plan should be brought
before the public. It was generally agreed there is
a need to have an ongoing dialogue with the public as the
committee moves forward so that a plan is created that the
public will embrace. Bob White suggested that the prior
committee did not give the community enough, meaning there
is a need to be more creative. The consensus was that
the committee was going to do more than just cut a field or
two and rework the costs numbers.
Communication Sub-committee Report
Mary Danko reported that she and John Chamberlin have begun
reviewing best methods for communicating with the public.
Meanwhile, CATV will be taping meetings, transaction ads will
be placed in the Valley News to notify the public of meetings,
and meeting minutes as well as other information will be posted
at the Dresden SAU 70 website. Once Bob Sokol completes
the questionnaire report, a press release will be issued by
the committee’s co-chairs that summarize the committee’s
actions to date and reviews Bob Sokol’s report.
Public meetings will also be scheduled to report on the committee’s
progress.
Discussion of Action Items/Tasks
It was agreed that there was much work to do and Peter Krass
offered to create a master task list that would be circulated.
The master task list will address community concerns that
have been raised in a variety of forums since the 2004 bond
vote, as well as conceptual and construction matters.
Committee members are expected to comment on the list and
volunteer for specific tasks. Peter will also be circulating
a list of websites of communities also dealing with athletic
facility issues.
The minutes and other information is to be posted on the
SAU 70 website.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 4-7 PM -
Hanover High School Library and
April 25 - 7 PM Hanover High School Library
