Spotlight on Town Fields 11/8

As Hopkinton looks to invest in new school turf fields, continues work on a pavilion at the Fruit Street Athletic Complex, and discusses options to improve field security, residents are invited to attend an eHop public forum titled eHop’s Spotlight on Town Fields on Wednesday, November 8, 7:00 PM at St. John the Evangelist Parish, 20 Church Street, Hopkinton. This forum will take a citizen’s look at all fields in town—how they are used, managed, scheduled, and maintained—and will give residents a chance to ask questions of town officials.

Fields play a central role in the community. They are often where visitors form their first impressions of a town, and they are where we meet our neighbors, improve our health, build our friendships, cultivate town pride, teach collaboration, learn to succeed and fail gracefully, and exhibit our values. Recently, town officials have been working to identify field improvement projects that are expected to come up for vote at 2018 Annual Town Meeting.  Residents are encouraged to attend the eHop Spotlight forum to learn more about how our current fields are used and managed, to learn what proposed investments may be forthcoming, and to seek answers to questions from the experts. Featured panelists will include Parks and Recreation Commission member Dan Terry and Director Jay Guelfi, and members of the Hopkinton School Committee Fields Subcommittee.

While residents prepare for the release of the 2018 tax rate in late November, balancing the town’s investments in fields and recreation with good fiscal management is top of mind. For anyone looking to understand what proposed investment costs might be, what field-related revenue-generating opportunities exist, how Hopkinton facilities compare with those of neighboring towns, and what gaps exist between capacity and field use, the eHop forum is the perfect place to engage in this topic before Annual Town Meeting.

The Spotlight Forum on Town Fields will be the first forum of the year in eHop’s ongoing Spotlight Series.  Launched in October 2016, eHop’s Spotlight series aims to provide a neutral, fact-based setting for residents and town decision-makers to engage in open dialog on key issues. eHop is a Hopkinton based 501(c)(4) nonprofit whose mission is to provide timely and factual information about key town matters with the goal of increasing government transparency and fostering civic engagement.