Accountability posts
Drafts ready to share. Click to copy, then post. Recreation Committee · Sunapee · September 17, 2025.
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Split vote on permanent infrastructure decision made without full committee deliberation
Sunapee Rec Committee 9/17: A committee member said he was hearing about the permanent court layout change FOR THE FIRST TIME at the meeting where it was voted on. The vote passed 3-2. Those courts will not be repainted again. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/recreation-com...
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Last-minute event cancellation caused by failure to review existing ordinance during planning
Sunapee's Cider Fest was canceled 3.5 weeks before the event because no one checked whether the town ordinance allowed it. The same ordinance now has to be reviewed before the committee can plan future events. This was entirely... https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/recreation...
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Thin evidence base for a permanent, publicly visible service change with no community input
At the 9/17 Rec Committee meeting, Sunapee residents heard basketball access was cut based on ONE MONTH of usage data (11 pickleball vs. 4 basketball uses). The decision is permanent. No public comment was taken. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/recreation-committee/2025-09...
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Capital priority ranking vote with taxpayer funding implications conducted without public notice
Sunapee Rec Committee (9/17) voted to rank Veterans Field capital priorities — playground first, then scoreboard, skate park, bathrooms — and will bring a funding request to the Select Board in November. Was this on the public a... https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/recreatio...
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🧵 Sunapee Rec Committee met 9/17. Three things residents should know — especially if you use the courts at Veterans Field or planned to attend Cider Fest. Thread: #MeetingWatch
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1/ The court resurfacing layout was voted on permanently — 3 pickleball courts, 1 full basketball court. Committee member Dan said it was the FIRST TIME he was hearing about the specific layout, despite the topic having been tab...
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2/ The majority justified the pickleball-heavy layout using ONE MONTH of usage data: 11 pickleball uses vs. 4 basketball uses. One member noted residents had already complained that basketball — 'the one sport people actually us...
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3/ Cider Fest was canceled 3.5 weeks before the event because an ordinance conflict — restrictions on alcohol on public spaces — wasn't caught until it was too late. The committee is now reviewing the ordinance it should have ch...
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4/ The committee also voted to rank Veterans Field capital priorities (playground #1, scoreboard #2, skate park #3, bathrooms #4) and will request playground funding from the Select Board in November. This priority-ranking vote...
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5/ Taxpayers: the playground cost isn't known yet — quotes are still being gathered. But the funding ask to the Select Board is coming in November. If you have thoughts on how Veterans Field money should be spent, now is the tim... https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/recreation-committee/2025-09-17/ #SunapeeNH
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Longer-form draft.
At the Town of Sunapee Recreation Committee meeting on September 17, 2025, several decisions were made that residents — especially those who use Veterans Field or attended fall events — should be aware of. The most immediate: the committee voted 3-2 to permanently configure the resurfaced courts as three pickleball courts and one full basketball court. The resurfacing was moved up and began the following Monday, making this a done deal. What makes the vote notable is that committee member Dan stated he was hearing about the specific layout for the first time at the very meeting where it was finalized — despite the topic having been tabled to this session for committee deliberation. The decision is permanent; the committee explicitly stated the courts will not be repainted again. The majority justified the pickleball priority using one month of usage data (11 pickleball uses vs. 4 basketball uses). At least one member reported that basketball users had already come to him with complaints. No public comment period was held at the meeting. Also at this meeting: Cider Fest was canceled just 3.5 weeks before it was scheduled to take place. The reason — a conflict with the town's recreation ordinance, which restricts alcohol and camping on public spaces — was not identified until late in the planning process. The committee acknowledged the problem and agreed to review the ordinance at the next meeting. Fall Fest will also not occur this year. Pumpkin distribution is still planned. Finally, the committee voted to rank four Veterans Field capital priorities — playground (1st), electronic scoreboard (2nd), skate park (3rd), bathrooms/concessions (4th) — and plans to bring a formal playground funding request to the Select Board in November. Playground cost estimates are still being gathered. This priority-ranking vote, which will drive how public money is requested and spent, does not appear to have been listed on the public meeting agenda, meaning residents had no advance notice to attend and weigh in. If you have opinions on Veterans Field improvements or how recreation funds should be prioritized, the Select Board presentation is expected in the first week of November. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/recreation-committee/2025-09-17/ #MeetingWatch #SunapeeNH