Woodstock officials last week pondered the potential for up to two new ball fields on town land across from the swimming beach at Lake Christopher.
Selectmen met with Fred Johnson of the Recreation Committee to discuss ideas for improving the town’s baseball/softball facilities.
There are currently two baseball fields located on Route 26 just north of Bryant Pond Village.
But, said Johnson, neither is a regulation-size field for softball.
He said other towns’ teams play Woodstock’s there, but only in the regular season.
Johnson said championship games are offered to towns to host. “We’d like to take them but we can’t,” he said.
Maxfield asked about the possibility of creating a new field on Lakeside Drive, where a playground is currently located on 2+acres.
“Is that a multi-thousand dollar project?” he asked.
“I would say in the long run, quite possibly,” said Johnson. “But it doesn’t have to be done all at once.”
“If we could get one field operable,” he said, other improvements, such as dugouts, could follow later.
He speculated that significant groundwork, including leveling and drainage, would be needed.
Johnson said he believes there is enough space for two ball fields.
He saw other potential as well, citing the Pismo Beach fields in Oxford on Lake Thompson, where players can go swimming after their games.
“It’s kind of a treat for the kids. We have that option here, too,” he said.
The officials agreed to continue exploring the possibility of new fields for the longterm.
Parking/T-ball
They also discussed the feasibility of using a lower T-ball field near the current grandstand for additional parking.
“We’re starting to get more of a crowd,” said Johnson.
He suggested using part of the field for T-ball and another part for parking.
But Selectman Ron Deegan was leary of mixing children and vehicles.
Instead, he said, the town should simply convert the whole T-ball field to parking, taking off the loam and putting in gravel and draining.
He also suggested cutting into the banking next to the upper fields to make more parking space and constructing a stairway to the fields above.
No decision was made, but the board said a proposal could be brought to the annual Town Meeting in March.
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