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Parks board recommends gates for Rookie Field at Civic Park; youth baseball to secure locks
Summary
After public comment from Saint John Youth Baseball, the parks board voted 3-0 to recommend adding two gates to Rookie Field at Civic Park and to allow the youth baseball organization to secure them with locks; the board asked staff to pass the recommendation to the town manager.
The St John Parks and Recreation Board on Tuesday recommended that the town manager approve adding two gates to Rookie Field at Civic Park and allow Saint John Youth Baseball to secure them with locks, following a request from the league.
The recommendation, passed unanimously 3-0 at the board's February 2025 meeting, follows public comment from Scott Clifford, president of Saint John Youth Baseball, who said the league has invested in field maintenance and wants to reduce unauthorized use. "We are investing a significant amount of money in those fields to maintain and improve those fields," Clifford said, and asked the board to "secure the fields when they are not in use." He said Miller Field already has gates and only Rookie Field needs two swinging gates installed near the dugouts.
Clifford told the board the league has committed about $80,000 to maintenance and reconstruction at Heartland Park and is prepared to make a significant investment at Civic Park, though not the same amount. He urged the board to limit unauthorized use: "If we can take that number from 100, and I am pulling that out of thin air, if we can go from a hundred down to 10, that's a win for us," he said.
Town staff discussed ownership and past practice for field control. Town staff member Gabe said the authority over the parcel has shifted over time and that securing the fields is "potentially possible depending on" discussions with the town manager and council. The board discussed mirroring the scheduling and lock-code procedures used at Hartland Park; Clifford said the town and designated staff would retain access and codes.
Board members said the league will provide signage directing users to the proper scheduling contact and that the installation would allow other groups to continue to use the fields through scheduled reservations rather than informal access. The board voted to forward a "favorable recommendation for adding 2 gates onto Rookie Field in Civic Park, and allowing Scott Clifford, the president of baseball, then they can, secure them with locks" to the town manager. The motion passed 3-0.
Next steps outlined by the board include confirmation of ownership and authority by town staff and review by the town manager; the parks board's action was a recommendation rather than a final town decision.
