34 South Main St., Attleboro, MA - (508) 222-7000
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North couple apologizes, must pay for using conservation land for baseball practice
Top Headlines John and Suzanne Courtemanche said they mowed a spot on the property, which abuts their Ellis Road home, because the town has no space for children in the AAU baseball program to practice. On Tuesday, they apologized to the conservation commission for mowing the property and said they are more than willing to reimburse the town for the loss of hay that resulted. John Courtemanche explained that the North Attleboro Stars were going to have to practice on fields in Fall River because there is no field space available in town. During a team meeting at the Courtemanche home, they found the conservation land a tempting place to practice. "It's not a big area if you look at the whole property. It was less than an acre on a property that has 30 to 40 acres," Courtemanche said. "We just wanted a spot for the kids to practice. We didn't have bases or lights out there or anything like that." The town-owned property is conservation land that is currently used for passive recreation. "It's not posted property. We moved here in 1995 and there are people on the property all the time. Lots of people walk the trails in there and go horseback riding. There are even hunters back there, sometimes," Courtemanche said. The property is mowed by a local farmer each year for hay - some of which he gets to keep for his effort and some of which is donated to the park and recreation department to feed its zoo animals. Conservation commission members said baseball cannot be played on the property because of liability concerns. "You can't do that," commission Chairman Mark Roberts said. "We all know that space and land is tight, especially for the AAU. But we can't have it because it's conservation commission land and there are liability issues. If a kid got hurt out there, the first thing their parents would do is sue the town." Roberts said that the Courtemanches will be asked to make a donation to the park and recreation department to compensate the town for the loss of the hay. Courtemanche said he will never mow the property again, and added that he thought the conservation commission was fair.
Post Your Comments spookey wrote on Jul 24, 2008 2:59 AM: " conservation land, or as one would say, open space, is put aside, by cities and towns for future use. the mistake here, is, that one has to ask permission to use town property! who was using this property? people, who helped pay for it in the first place, through their taxes. as the ole saying goes, "it is for the kids"! " trapperdick wrote on Jul 23, 2008 4:49 PM: " These people need to get a life...It's grass, it'll grow back..Somebody doesn't have enough to do.... " Harry Hindsight wrote on Jul 23, 2008 4:22 PM: " Hojo20, you want to go sans saddle, by all means. It's your butt. " Hojo20 wrote on Jul 23, 2008 12:54 PM: " Bareback horse riding? " Harry Hindsight wrote on Jul 23, 2008 12:20 PM: " Realist, I beleive walking, hiking even running. No wheeled vehicles or other means of machanical transportation. I think that horseback riding falls under passsive recreation. You are not allowed to disturb nature other than your footprints on the path. No trail blazing. I think the baseball fails in the requirement because it was an organised team or practice. Plus the fact they cut the grass. " realist wrote on Jul 23, 2008 11:02 AM: " What is passive recreation? " or
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