The Parks & Recreation Commission on Tuesday night learned that funds will be available at the end of the fiscal year for replacing the dilapidated fence at Carrigan Park that concerned abutters at the May 28 meeting.

Parks & Rec Department Director Jon Lewitus told commission members that he spoke with the town’s Accounting Department about replacing the fence, located at 5 Marshall Avenue.

“Long story short, we have the money to do it,” he said.

Lewitus said he spoke with Town Manager Elaine Lazarus, who told him that departments tend to have unused funds at the end of the fiscal year. When FY 25 concludes on June 30, unused funds will be evaluated to put toward the project. Lewitus estimated that Parks & Rec has about $1,800 in funds remaining.

He added that he received a quote for the fence, which was lower than the $10,000 previously projected. This negates the need for multiple project bids.

In a related development, Lewitus said Hopkinton Little League president Gabe Recos has begun clearing baseball equipment from the fence area. Lewitus will work with the Department of Public Works to clean up the parking area.

Sandy Beach boat dock installed

Lewitus announced that the highly anticipated Sandy Beach boat dock was installed on June 9 in time for summer usage.

“We had a few people there today,” Lewitus said, noting that they offered feedback that will lead to improvements for this summer.

“We’re going to tale a long, hard look at it on how it’s designed for next year,” he continued, noting that it will be included in the parking lot paving project plans.

Vice chair Kyle Smith said he is working on implementing a modification to the boat ramp by next summer. He also will be addressing the Conservation Commission as to removing brush and creating a “true path to it.”

Said Smith: “I don’t think we’re talking crazy dollars, but still, it’s dollars.”

Pickleball scheduling discussed

Chair Dan Terry discussed allowing scheduling for three pickleball courts off of Fruit Street via the PlayTime Scheduler app.

The courts he suggested for reservations are the ones closest to the fence near the parking lot, he explained. A limit of 18 reservations for a three-hour time frame on Wednesday afternoons was proposed, with a wait list available. This will take up one of the tennis courts during that time frame.

The program will begin for June 18 reservations and will be adjusted according to demand.

“I think one of the things that will do is give people time to get comfortable using PlayTime Scheduler and start playing pickleball in a different way,” said Terry.

Pyne Field update provided

Lewitus said he met with a representative from consultant Gale Associates regarding a milestone schedule for the Pyne Field renovation and the funding available for the work. He noted that should the project cost exceed $1 million, the department will have to make an additional funding request to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC).

He was told “there is a phased-in process” that could be used for part of the project.

Lewitus said the 50% design development submission is due on July 10, at which time the “most specific dollar amount” for the project will be known.

Once this design is submitted, the public will have opportunities to give feedback, including the baseball and cricket leagues.

The July 22 Parks & Rec meeting will be dedicated to discussions around Pyne Field, Lewitus added.

Also, Lewitus will meet with Dave Daltorio and Nicole Bratsos from the town’s Facilities and Engineering Department in two weeks to discuss the transfer of responsibilities regarding Pyne Field and the Sandy Beach parking lot paving project.

Quarterly update to CPC Thursday

Lewitus will present the department’s quarterly update to the CPC at its meeting Thursday night.

Terry said that while the CPC will be looking for an update on projects that still are open, the presentation should focus on all projects Lewitus has completed since he became director.

“There’s a whole lot of projects that have been completed in the past 24 months that I think need to be mentioned in that conversation,” stressed Terry, the commission’s CPC liaison.

He noted that the CPC previously chastised the department about the Pyne Field project not being funded after money was appropriated two years prior.

Added Terry: “It seems as though that is the focus, and I don’t think it’s a fair focus.”

Summer activities to begin

Lewitus said summer activities on the Town Common are set to start. Summer movie nights will be held on June 26, July 10, July 24 and Aug. 7. There will be a new “VIP guest experience” where Instagram users can tag the program and win access to a “blow-up couch” and refreshments during a movie.

The Sunday concert series will kick off July 13, he added.

Fall registration begins Aug. 6

Lewitus said registration for fall programming will begin Aug. 6. This will include advertising for registration for the basketball program and the wildly popular skiing program, which tend to fill up quickly, “to get ahead of it.” The early registration will help with reserving buses for the ski program, he noted.

“We don’t want the economics of it to be the complete driving force about adding another bus,” noted Terry.

Shoutout to department, teams

Member Amy O’Donnell offered kudos to the department office for its behind-the-scenes efforts. She noted that the high school girls softball team was having a very successful season, while a youth lacrosse team was heading to a championship game.

“Sometimes we get fixated on the fields and the things we need,” she said. “But these are reasons why we need these things. These kids have come through Parks & Rec youth programming, and these moments can’t happen without that.”