Freetown Select Board Votes to Negotiate New Field Licenses With Youth Sports Groups

FREETOWN — April 18, 2023 — Freetown Select Board authorizes new license agreements for five youth sports organizations sharing town fields. Citing scheduling conflicts and unclear maintenance responsibilities across Pocasset Park, Long Pond Landing, and King Richard's Realm, the board voted Tuesday to empower Select Board member and Parks Commission Chair Jared Sylvia to negotiate individual five-year license agreements — terminable on 60 days' notice — with representatives of Freetown Lakeville Athletic Association baseball, Ponkapoag Junior Football Club, Freetown Lakeville Soccer Club, South Coast Field Hockey, and Freetown Lakeville Youth Softball Association, which together serve close to 2,000 players. Jonathan Watkins of the football club said his program spends roughly $11,000 annually maintaining its Long Pond game field; softball president Mark Tisdale said his 140-player league has no dedicated Freetown field at all. The board separately approved ambulance abatements and write-offs totaling more than $275,000, declined to proceed with a $350-per-month social media archiving service, and appointed Alfred "Sunny" Barrows to the Council on Aging board through June 30.