Glennon: I have served on the board for seven years. I believe in giving back to the community, and I feel I am able to do that by being a member of the board. I was involved in Hanson Youth Football, and still am, for the past 12 years.

What are the tasks of Parks and Fields? Clay: We are responsible for Botieri Field, the Skate Park, Memorial Field, LZ Thomas Field and Hancock Street. We are also in charge of scheduling for the school fields anytime after 3 p.m. We do all the weed and feed of the fields, maintenance of the sprinkler systems and provide porta potties. We maintain the town fields with the help of the highway department that mows the fields and does minor repairs. The school district maintains the school fields with the help of the sports organizations that use it.

Glennon: We also do any repair work on the fields as far as fencing and what not.

What have you seen change in Parks and Fields over the years? Glennon: The budget seems to go down and down each year. Clay: We started out with a $15,000 budget, and we are down to $9,000.

What is an alternate source of funding for the Parks and Fields? Clay: We received a state grant, and with the help from the grant we were able to do landscaping around Hancock Street that hadn’t been done for many years. At the Memorial Field, Parks and Fields installed a new batting cage, installed a new parking lot, made walking trails around both baseball fields and put up fencing to protect the soccer fields. We were able to do infield work at the minor league field at the Botieri complex. Also, anywhere that had issues with fencing, we were able to address those issues. We were able to do a lot with that grant we obtained through Representative Daniel Webster. We had told him that the fields needed renovations and we had asked for $250,000 and he was able to get us $125,000.

How has the bottle drive been able to help Parks and Fields? Clay: The bottle redemptions at the transfer station have been a great source of income for us. The workers at the transfer station have really been working with us. The number of redemptions we have had in the past we expect to double this year. There is a tally board down at the transfer station that shows how much we have brought in for the fiscal year. Glennon: The revenue really helps us with our budget. We have been able to do things like put a well in at the LZ Fields, at a cost of over $5,000.

What would you do differently if you did have more funding? Clay: If we did have the budget to properly maintain the fields, we would no longer take some money away from the sports organizations. They have to raise the money from user fees so that the fields are up to par. In the old days, the town paid for that, but now the parents are paying for it through the registration fees. The youth sports groups have done a fantastic job doing this. A few years ago, soccer paid over $45,000 to redo the middle school field. All the youth sports organizations have been a tremendous help in ensuring the fields will be maintained, and they should be commended for it. Glennon: We are able to do what we do because of volunteer work. We are also a volunteer board. There are currently seven members on Parks and Fields: Bill Clay, Mike Glennon, Ed Bates, Bob Hayes, Steven Lyons, Dick Harris and Kevin Arouca.

What is an issue the Parks and Fields board has resolved? Clay: We have been able to improve on the communication between sports organizations. We do have a lack of field space and in the past there were scheduling issues.