Rams will practice at Lockhart Field

MILTON - Nute Middle and High School baseball teams will be using Lockhart Memorial Field for practices on an interim basis until fencing and netting at the Town Beach field can be fixed, according to an email sent The Lebanon Voice from school officials.

In the email SAU 64 Superintendent Jay McIntire accepts the town of Milton’s offer to use the alternate field, but also raps town officials for the “precipitous” decision to close the Town Beach field in midseason and chides town officials for a “lack of teamwork” as the situation unfolded last week.

Town selectmen on Tuesday unilaterally decided to close the Town Beach field after several foul balls landed on Route 125 at a recent game because of liability concerns.

Town officials notified the school on Wednesday just four hours before a scheduled game.

The problem of balls landing on White Mountain Highway has been a recurring problem, but Selectman Bob Bridges said it has gotten worse after winter weather caused the netting to sag even farther down allowing more foul balls to land on the busy highway.

The Rams’ next varsity home game is May 6, and both school and town officials are hoping that the field can be fixed by then.

Bridges, who has spent a lot of recent time trying to remedy the situation, said last week the netting has to be at least 14 feet higher to mitigate the danger to motorists.

Town administrator Liz Dionne said town officials would hold a closed meeting today to discuss expediting needed repairs or finding the teams an alternate site to play home games.