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Selectmen vote not to charge HYAA for Grimes Field use for three years
Summary
After public comments and discussion of Deering’s past payments, the Hillsborough Selectmen approved a three-year waiver of field-usage fees for the Hillsborough Youth Athletic Association; Chairman Iris Campbell recused and abstained from the final vote.
Tom McClure opened public comment saying he had “heard a rumor the town is charging Hillsborough Youth Athletic Association (HYAA) $8,000 for the use of the athletic fields” and urged the board not to pass that cost onto families. He asked the Board to press Deering to resume payments or the town should withhold services such as police coverage or transfer station use from Deering residents.
Selectman James Bailey responded that Deering had historically paid $25,000 annually and that the Board had waived fees in January pending further discussion. Bailey said the $8,000 figure was intended as a proposal for Deering, not HYAA, and repeated his desire to meet with the Deering Selectboard to resolve the contribution question. “Deering has been paying $25,000 for the last 15 years until recently,” Bailey said during the public exchange.
The Board also heard from HYAA parents: Kalley Mihalko noted higher uniform costs ($150 per child) and higher nonresident camp rates at Manahan, and Leigh Bosse suggested that if Deering will not contribute, Deering children should not play (or the program be resident-only). Riche' Colcombe and others argued HYAA should not be charged for field use and raised historical expectations tied to prior Deering payments.
Chairman Iris Campbell recused herself from the HYAA memorandum-of-understanding discussion because of family participation. Selectman Richard Pelletier made the successful motion “not to charge HYAA for the use of the fields at Grimes Field for 3 years.” Selectman Bailey seconded the motion; Chairman Campbell abstained and the motion passed. The Board directed staff to continue outreach to Deering and to document the rationale for the waiver.
