As you know, on November 8, 2005, residents in Hanover and
Norwich voted in overwhelming favor of the athletic fields
plan created by the Fields Committee and subsequently put
forth by the Dresden School Board. The final tally
was 1,513 yes votes to 501 no votes. To view the official warrant article you voted
on, click here
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Stepping up to the Plate: We expect that
the many people who so successfully articulated the need
to keep taxpayer cost down while simultaneously meeting
the needs of the Athletic Program, are now eager to step
up to the plate and ' move the runners along.'
By approving this plan, we as a community have not just
committed tax dollars, we also committed to independently
raising $100,000 in unrestricted funds to offset some of
the costs of the basic plan. In addition, because
the plan is relatively bare bones, we are also committed
to raising more than $70,000 for such items as a scoreboard,
dugouts, a storage facility, and a shelter. This
prudent approach helped keep taxpayer costs down while
still meeting the needs of our athletic program.
There are two ways to contribute to the funding
need; joining with the small group already formed to undertake
ongoing fundraising efforts, or making
a tax-deductible donation to the Athletic Fields Fund. CLICK
HERE TO FIND OUT MORE...
Why Fundraise? Some people
dislike the concept of fundraising for public school activities.
The Fields Committee debated this issue, and did a fair
amount of research on it before going ahead and deciding
to include it as an essential element of the plan. To find
out more about our thinking, click
here.
WHAT IS THE PLAN?
There are three major components to our plan
(Click
here for the full recommendation, made to the Board in
June 2005) :
- At Hanover High School expand the size of the existing
field hockey field so that it is large enough to
accommodate any sport. Install a synthetic
turf field configured for multiple sports, including,
for example, field hockey, football, lacrosse, and
soccer. Install lights to maximize usage;
- At Hanover High School expand the size of the existing
football field, making it more flexible so it can
accommodate soccer / lacrosse games, which will result
in increased usage. Build a new track around
the expanded field;
- At the Norwich land owned by Dresden build a baseball
field with a field hockey field overlaid in the outfield;
and build a 400 ft by 400 ft multi-purpose field space
that offers total flexibility, able to accommodate either
2 games or 4 practices simultaneously.
To see the drawings for the fields, click here.
Why
synthetic turf? While one synthetic
turf field is more expensive than one of regular
old grass, it is a very prudent investment because
one such field is worth 3 or 4 grass fields. We
will hardly be pioneers here: Literally dozens of
New England secondary schools have installed synthetic
turf fields. They are as
safe as grass; are impervious to weather (a significant
factor in the Upper Valley); and can be pounded on 24 hours
a day, whereas overuse of grass turns fields to mud. To
find out more about our research on artificial turf, click
here.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THE PLAN?
- It keeps more students on campus & cuts
down on lost academic time. Far more
student athletes will be able to practice and play
games at HHS, which means less time lost on transportation,
safer travel logistics, and less academic time lost
when day light grows short – instead of leaving
school early for a game, they play under the lights.
- Fewer other fields needed. The
synthetic turf field with lights will increase field
availability and usage dramatically and therefore
require fewer fields to be constructed and maintai
WHAT ARE THE DRAWBACKS TO THIS PLAN?
- The synthetic turf and track surfaces will
need to be replaced: While a natural grass
athletic field needs renovated in about 20 years
time, in about ten years we may have to replace
the surfaces of the synthetic turf field (about
$350, 000) and the track (about $150,000). The synthetic
turf replacement cost will be partly offset by avoidance
of maintenance costs we'd otherwise be paying for
3 natural grass fields (e.g., mowing, fertilization,
aeration, annual repair [estimated $22,000/yr], plus
the 20-year renovation); some rental income (synthetic
turf fields are in demand); and through fundraising
(implementing a similar plan as now, which has already
raised almost $70,000 in a short period of time).
We can't put a number on it, but we strongly believe
the actual cost of replacing these surfaces will
be cut by at least a third, and maybe a half-
a cost we still need to keep in mind. Regarding the
track replacement, this is something faced by every
high school with a track.
- The plan does not include extras: This
plan is relatively bare bones. We still need
to do some independent
fundraising for such items
as scoreboards and dugouts. Once a plan for athletic
fields development is accepted, we will pursue a
number of opportunities for partnering with community
groups to develop specific portions of the Norwich
property owned by Dresden for other purposes such
as a multi-use, recreational trail. The
folks we’ve been talking to about this are
geared up and ready to go
HOW WAS THE PLAN DEVELOPED?
The
Dresden Athletic Fields Committee, formed
by the Dresden Board in 2005, created the plan. Who
are the committee members? Some of us live in Hanover,
some in Norwich. Some of us are parents of young
children; some are retirees. Some of us voted
no last time, some voted yes. The point is: We
represent a spectrum of opinion and were not afraid
to ask tough questions of each other throughout the
process. To find out more about who we are, click
here.
We listened to the community: Using the results
from a survey developed by the Dresden Board, through
a series of public meetings, and the word on the street,
several messages came across loud and clear:
We built the plan from the ground up: We decided
to take an incremental approach to create a plan that
focused on maximizing sharing of
existing fields and the field space at Hanover High School.
We knew the track at the high school was dilapidated
beyond use and the athletic program was and is losing
the full use of at least 4 athletic fields due to the
tri-party land swap and the growth
of Dartmouth and Hanover/Norwich recreation programs. But
we also knew not every team needs it’s own field.
So, we decided to look at the facts and build our plan
from the ground up. To read the minutes of our meetings, click
here.
WHAT IS THE TIMELINE FOR COMPLETION?
Sept 2006: Synthetic turf field installed & ready
for play;
Sept 2007 HHS track & Norwich multi-purpose field
ready;
April 2008 HHS expanded grass field & Norwich baseball
field ready.
WHAT’S THE IMPACT ON THE TAXPAYER?
If you own a property worth $400,000 in Hanover your tax
bill will increase by $33. If you own a similarly valued
property in Norwich your tax bill will increase by $65
unless you qualify for income sensitivity, in which case
it will increase by $13.
The Athletic Fields Webpages have been put
together solely through the volunteer efforts of the Fields
Committee members. We're doing the best we can to offer
the Dresden community information to help them make informed
choices.
