Hingham fields study in beginning stages: Input sought from fields users

October 29 by Carol Britton Meyer

Hingham owns and maintains more than 50 acres of athletic fields, which are used by many youth and adult organizations and are under the supervision of three different entities -- the Selectmen, School Committee, and Recreation Department.

In response to the many concerns voiced about the condition of -- and other issues related to -- the town's athletic fields and basketball and tennis courts -- and thanks to $60,000 in Community Preservation Act funding -- an independent comprehensive study of all of these facilities is moving forward to analyze associated program demands, deficiencies, and other aspects.

CPA funding comes from a tax surcharge approved by Town Meeting in the early 2000s and may only be used for open space, community housing, historic preservation, and some recreation projects.

Town Meeting 2019 supported the fields study warrant article proposed by the Recreation Commission after numerous complaints about the fields.  The goal is to evaluate the town's ability to meet the current and future needs of the community as the demand continues to increase. The end result will be a summary report providing findings and recommendations.

Hingham Sports Partnership President Bill Crean said that after hearing numerous concerns about the condition and availability of the fields, "it was clear that we would not be able to address these issues without this study by an independent consultant."

Hingham's athletic fields "serve the Hingham community across a wide range of organized and recreational uses," said Hingham Recreation Department Director Mark Thorell, who is a member of the fields study working group. "There has been continued and sustained demand for these fields from many different youth and adult organizations. Because of this demand, there is a need for the town to evaluate its ability to meet the current as well as the future needs of the community to ensure its ability to grow and adapt."

Consultant chosen

The working group is managing the process and is working  with Weston & Sampson -- the company chosen from among several respondents through a Request for Proposals process  -- most of them engineering consulting firms that offer a "broad range of services including athletic facility master planning," said working group member Ray Estes.

The other members are Assistant Town Administrator Michelle Monsegur; DPW Supt. Randy Sylvester; South Shore Country Club Executive Director Kevin Whalen; and Hingham Public Schools Director of Business & Support Services John Ferris.

"We had a kick-off meeting in September and then started scheduling site visits to all the town's athletic fields and basketball and tennis courts," Estes said. "We recently met with the consultant and field users -- including youth, high school, and adult teams  -- so they could air their concerns and talk about their experiences, including maintenance issues, availability, conditions, and appropriateness of the fields for particular uses [and share their specific needs]." The HSP helped facilitate these meetings.

Estes outlined the projected timeline for the study. "The goal is for the final report to be ready in January or February, with the hope of having the preliminary recommendations in December or early January," he said, in time for Town Meeting 2020 consideration of "any actionable recommendations."

An "unbiased review of current athletic fields with an independent recommendation based on the collected data of a comprehensive study will help put Hingham on a path toward best meeting the needs of the community," Thorell said. "Utilizing this information will help the town provide adequate access for youth and non-youth sports leagues to the fields and facilities they need at the times they need them."

Crean noted that a youth field hockey program has just started up, which gives younger kids another sport to play -- a big plus, he said. A rugby team was recently created at the high school as well, further highlighting the need for an adequate number of playing fields in good condition to accommodate all the teams.

"When kids are involved in sports they tend to do better in their studies, and participation in sports also helps kids stay out of trouble, which is healthy for the community," Crean said.

High level of participation 

Roughly 78 percent of all Hingham High students participate in one or more sports, with just under 1,000 students actively involved. "The feeling in town is that our community loves the fact that so many kids are active in sports, along with many other activities," Crean said. "That's in the DNA of our town, which is vibrant in so many ways."

Director of Athletics Jim Quatromoni said the high rate of engagement among Hingham High students is a "direct reflection of their drive, the athletic facilities Hingham provides, and our first-class coaching staff. The resources that our community provides for recreation and all levels of athletics are a catalyst for our successes in both participation and overall excellence."

Quatromoni appreciates the work of all those involved with the fields study "in helping us maximize the use of our athletic facilities."

Hingham has a history of excellence when it comes to sports and takes pride in its athletic teams and facilities as evidenced by the recent Holmes Award (renamed from Ames Award).

"During the 2018-2019 school year, our varsity teams won 72 percent of their contests," said Quatromoni. "Collectively our teams won 282 contests, more than any other program in the state. Based on our overall athletic excellence, the Boston Globe honored us with the Holmes Award for the first time in our school history. Our teachers set an expectation of excellence in the classroom that clearly carries over to the athletic fields. This is an award that our entire community holds in the highest regard."

Looking back

Estes recalled that in the Fall of 2018 and last spring, "we had a ton of rain and the fields were unplayable for weeks at a time. A question to consider is what do we do when we have this kind of rain to accommodate the town's needs?"

Earlier, in 2014, when school officials were preparing to open the new Middle School, the possibility of installing an artificial turf field at that location was a topic of conversation "because some people were convinced that would be a better option [than a grass field]," Estes said. "Those talks weren't successful because there were a lot of folks who said we need a master plan and maybe the Middle School wasn't the right location." There is also an artificial turf field at Hingham High School.

Estes explained the scope of the study, which he said would identify whether the current fields and courts are "sufficient, up-to-date, and meet the needs of the users -- are we maintaining the fields properly and what can we do to make improvements? It's about taking a look at the overall operation and management of the different fields and seeing if there are ways to improve them.

"It's not just about whether we have enough fields, but do we have enough fields of the right type. Part of the process will be identifying whether we need more artificial turf fields and where they might be located," Estes said. "We would hope that the recommendations that come out of the study will show what is needed most and prioritize those needs. We understand this could be a multi-year effort, with a number of potential projects that could come out of the process."

Adequate access

Ultimately, he noted, "At the end of the day, the three groups that control the fields need to be onboard with the recommendations," as well as Town Meeting voters when funding is involved. "There could be any number of funding sources [still to be explored]," including potential additional CPA funds, Town Meeting allocations, and possibly grants."

The information from the independent study "will help ensure adequate access for youth and adult sports leagues to the fields and courts they need, at the times they need them," the Advisory Committee stated in its comments in the 2019 Town Meeting warrant. "It would answer the question of whether team organizations need to seek accommodation outside of Hingham and could provide the town with information necessary to take the next steps toward accommodating league needs from a townwide perspective, instead of from a limited field-by-field scope."

Natural grass turf maintenance, surface treatment best practices, and field-resting recommendations would be incorporated into an overall plan.

While serious efforts were made in the past to resolve these townwide issues, the fields study is an opportunity to address these needs and concerns in a cohesive way, those involved with the project say.