Selectmen named Dixfield’s Distinguished Citizen of the Year Monday night.
DIXFIELD – Bitsy Ionta was named Dixfield’s Distinguished Citizen of the Year at Monday night’s selectmen’s meeting.
Ionta will receive a plaque honoring his achievements at the annual town meeting in June.
The board also wants coaches, the district’s boosters club and anyone else interested in the installation of a blue tarp around two sides of Harlow Field to come to the next meeting to help selectmen decide whether it should be removed.
Hugh Daley, board chairman, said Ionta was chosen because of his hard work and dedication to the citizens of the town.
“He goes about his work in an unassuming manner, working for the parks and recreation program. He is a great neighbor and friend to all,” said Daley, reading from a statement of nomination from the Distinguished Citizens Committee.
Complaints about tarp
Selectman Montell Kennedy said he had heard numerous comments from residents complaining about the installation of a blue tarp around a section of the ball field.
“No one likes it. It takes away from watching the games. I don’t like it,” he said.
He said, too, that he has not seen such tarps installed at other ball fields used by school districts, questioning how it could have been installed for safety reasons.
Town Manager Nanci Allard said SAD 21 officials told her it was a safety issue. She said a group last summer that was charged with outlining jobs that could be done at the field, had recommended installation of the tarp.
“Some love it. Some hate it,” she said. “It can come down.”
“It’s a town park,” said Daley. “And some people don’t like it.”
The ball field, owned by the town, is used by SAD 21 teams. The town, sports boosters club, SAD 21 and private donations paid for the tarp.
Allard said she believes the tarp was installed to make it safer so outfielders can more easily see fly balls.
Special town meeting
“We want to hear what people have to say,” said Daley.
“We want the reason for putting it up. I’m sure there’s some kind of solution,” said Selectman Eugene Skibitsky.
Once the board has gathered information from residents at the next meeting, selectmen will decide whether the tarp should stay or go.
In other matters, the board set a special town meeting for 6 p.m. on Monday, May 24, for residents’ action on whether to accept Child Hollow Road as a town road and to decide whether the former site of Irving’s Forest Products, a 14-acre parcel on Pine Street, should be designated a Pine Tree Zone. Certain businesses that locate in a Pine Tree Zone receive a variety of state-supported tax breaks.
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