Hooksett committee weighs field rental fees, formal agreement with youth association to fund upkeep

HOOKSETT — Members of the Hooksett Parks and Recreation Committee on Wednesday reviewed field-use practices and fees in nearby towns and discussed a possible pricing schedule to help pay for maintenance and capital improvements.

Committee members said the goal of a pricing schedule would be modest revenue deposited in the town’s recreation revolving fund to pay for repairs, sod replacement, dugouts, fencing and future lighting work at Petersburg fields. Members asked staff to draft a first-pass schedule for committee review and said any final proposal would go to the Town Council and include public input and meetings with the largest user, the Hooksett Youth Athletic Association (HYA).

The committee heard survey information gathered from other towns showing a wide variety of fee approaches. Reported examples included a turf-rate of $125 per hour in one town (November–April) and $90 per hour (May–October) in the same jurisdiction; a $200/hour turf rental in another community; youth-team fees ranging from about $100 to $130 per team per season in several towns; and tournament fees reported in one town as $375 per team. The committee did not verify those rates independently during the meeting; members said the figures came from calls and municipal websites the presenter contacted.

Why it matters: committee members said Hooksett’s fields are heavily used and that modest, recurring revenue could fund periodic repairs and improvements without relying solely on the operating budget. The committee repeatedly emphasized that any change would need to balance keeping youth sports affordable and covering maintenance costs.

Discussion highlights

- Relationship with HYA: Members said HYA provides volunteer labor, equipment and some materials (for example, paint and occasional reimbursements for lighting usage). Committee members noted that historically the town has allowed HYA first access to fields but that there is no formal written agreement specifying responsibilities for maintenance, scheduling priority or cost-sharing.

- Equity and affordability: Several members cautioned against passing full costs to families. One presenter estimated the true cost per child per season — accounting for uniforms, equipment and field costs — could run “roughly $480–$550 per player” in some years, and warned that raising fees could create barriers for families with multiple children. Committee members discussed scholarships and other fundraising that volunteer groups use to keep costs down.

- Field overuse and maintenance practices: Grounds staff and committee members described recurring problems with overuse — multiple sports in overlapping seasons, practices held on game-quality fields, and damage from tournaments — and said fields sometimes need rest periods to recover. Suggestions included limiting permit windows by season, banning practices on primary game fields, rotating fields where possible, and enforcing no-play rules after snow or during unsafe conditions.

- Water and irrigation: The committee discussed options to reduce water costs, including tapping river water or drilling wells at Petersburg. Staff described preliminary investigations showing well outcomes are uncertain (a well can be drilled 100 feet and yield no water), and members said any pump or river diversion would require regulatory approvals and railroad/state permissions if the intake crosses tracks or public waterways.

Next steps and direction

The committee asked staff to draft a proposed fee schedule and a written outline of roles and responsibilities for the town and HYA. That draft will be reviewed by the committee, then discussed with HYA representatives before any proposal is forwarded to the Town Council for formal consideration and public hearing. No formal vote or ordinance was adopted at the meeting.

Context

Committee members noted examples where surrounding towns charge for field use but still rely on volunteers for maintenance; they said those towns nonetheless face similar maintenance challenges. Several members reiterated the committee’s intention to preserve affordable access for Hooksett children while identifying sustainable funding for repairs and improvements.

Ending

Committee members said they will continue gathering details, meet with HYA, and return with a draft pricing schedule and a proposal describing how revenue would be placed into the town’s recreation revolving fund and used for field maintenance and capital needs.