Hanover: Special town meeting requests money for athletic fields

Hanover Special Town Meeting is tonight with just six articles on the warrant.

Five of the articles are for recreational and athletic facilities in town.

Article 1 is a citizens’ petition to request $482,000 from available funds and/or from the Community Preservation account on the Forge Pond Recreation Project.

Article 2, submitted by the Community Preservation Committee, asks for a total of $240,000 for the project: $138,000 from Community Preservation Funds and $102,000 from the Open Space reserve Fund.

The project, that began in 2008, was designed to provide tournament quality fields and recreational facilities on a piece of town-owned land on King Street.

Article 3, also a citizens’ petition, seeks $800,000 for athletic field improvements at the town’s schools.

Article 4, submitted by the Community Preservation Committee, asks for $65,000 for the design and repair of the athletic fields at Hanover High School.

Article 5, another request from the Community Preservation Committee, asks for $20,000 for a park at the Gallant Fields on Main Street.

And, article 6, submitted by the Police Chief and the Board of Selectmen, would amend the town’s bylaws to require fingerprint background checks for certain licenses including ice cream truck vendors, pawn shop dealers, dealers of second hand goods and taxi drivers.

Town Meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. at Hanover High School.