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Hubbardston parks commission plans season with tight budget, asks sports teams for porta‑potty donations
Summary
Commissioners discussed a constrained parks budget, agreement to ask youth sports teams to help cover rising porta‑potty costs, set an Easter egg hunt for April 12 with an April 19 rain date, and reserved the field for the Hubbardston Fair on June 7.
The Town of Hubbardston Parks Commission on Monday discussed tight finances for the upcoming park season and agreed to ask local sports teams for donations to cover rising porta‑potty costs.
Commissioner Jesse Alexander said the commission’s regular parks budget will cover only basic operations until the town’s next funding arrives in July, and that the commission’s donation account is currently negative after an apparent misposted invoice. Alexander said the porta‑potty vendor’s costs increased and “we tried to do 2 porta potties at the field, but now our budget won't cut cover it for the year.”
The discussion centered on short‑term steps to open facilities safely and on scheduling. Commissioners agreed — by consensus rather than a recorded roll‑call vote — to ask baseball and soccer groups that use the fields to contribute to porta‑potty costs for the season. Alexander said he will reach out to the leagues to confirm field requests and schedules.
The commission set the Easter egg hunt for April 12 with a rain date of April 19. Alexander said the date would allow staff to arrange porta‑potty deliveries and other logistics ahead of a hoped‑for May opening of the parks, contingent on weather and field readiness. The commission also agreed informally to block the primary field on June 7 for the Hubbardston Fair; parks staff or the commission will follow up with the Fair organizer for details.
Commissioners discussed establishing a regular meeting cadence as the season approaches. They agreed to reserve the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. for Parks Commission meetings, noting flexibility if conflicts arise.
No formal roll‑call votes on spending or contracts were recorded at the meeting; actions were taken by consensus and will be followed up by staff for formal scheduling and vendor confirmations.
Less urgent items included the commission’s shared Open Space/Parks account, which receives periodic hay‑sale proceeds used for field maintenance, and a senior “work‑off” volunteer replacement to handle weekly trash pickup and light maintenance duties.
The commission closed the meeting with an adjournment motion that was seconded and approved by those present.
