Resident seeks reimbursement after repeated foul balls; board discusses backstop upgrades for ballot

A Swansea resident who lives at 6 Mill Lane told the select board on July 23 that multiple foul balls from the nearby ball field have struck his cars and that he has two repair estimates of about $800 and $1,000. He asked the board for help pursuing reimbursement and described a vendor assessment that found the existing backstop would not support a simple 6-to-8-foot overhang without additional brackets.

The resident said he had tried to resolve the problem directly with the local Cal Ripken League and that a league contact named Kyle had at one point indicated the league would pay half the repair; that pledge, the resident said, later fell through. The resident also told the board he has maintained fences and water systems at the field and has regularly picked up dog waste and performed other volunteer maintenance.

Laurie, a town staff member who said she met with the resident and with Parks Director Ashley Crosby, told the board the town is working on two issues at the field: preventing balls from entering adjacent private property and addressing dogs being left loose on the field. Laurie said staff are evaluating improvements, including raising backstop heights, and that changing the backstops would be a capital improvement that could be placed on a future ballot, noting "that would come up next month and potentially go on the ballot in '26," referring to the timing of a capital request.

Select Board Chair Russell said the immediate next step is to bring the resident and the league parties together to see whether they can resolve reimbursement for vehicle damage and to explore interim repairs. "Both seem willing to work on it and see if we can't resolve at least the damage to the vehicles," Russell said.

Discussion only: board members and staff emphasized mediation between the resident and the Cal Ripken League as the near-term approach and noted longer-term backstop height increases would require capital planning and funding approval. No formal motion to reimburse the resident or to direct funds for temporary repairs was recorded at the meeting.

Background: Laurie told the board that raising backstop height is being discussed as a capital improvement, and that town staff are collecting options and quotes. The resident said he has an appointment at Quality Car Care to fix his car and offered to provide his electronic estimate to staff for follow-up.

Looking ahead: staff said they will attempt to convene the resident and the league contact Kyle to pursue an agreement on vehicle damage reimbursement and will continue to evaluate structural options for the backstop. If the town pursues a permanent backstop-height increase, the change would be presented through the capital-improvements process and, if needed, placed before voters.