TOWN OPEN SPACE

Hanover has approximately 1,785 acres of open spaces including wildlife preserves for water supply protection, passive recreation, sports fields, and spaces that combine these functions.¹ Creating links between the trails on different open spaces has been a priority for residents, and the Greenway trail system has become one of the town's most prized assets.² A few notable spaces in town that residents mentioned in conversation are Ludden's Ford Park, Myrtle Field, and Forge Pond Park. While Hanover has a plethora of open spaces, B. Everett Hall Field accommodates a number of recreational and community uses that cannot be relocated to other sites. Hanover Day, the annual Memorial Day parade and ceremony, and “Touch a Truck” events are all held at B. Everett Hall Field. It has one of the three Babe Ruth-sized baseball fields in town—used by the oldest age group and requiring the largest amount of space—for which there is currently demand. It also has storage capacity for bulky equipment in a 1,000-square-foot shed and is the only multipurpose field space that has lights. It currently accommodates up to four football teams at a time after sunset in the fall that require the lighting for practice.

Despite many community members expressing dissatisfaction with the quality of the grass and infrastructure at B. Everett Hall Field, there is a large subsect of the community that believes this park is critical for accommodating the demand for youth sports programming.

Myrtle Street Field, or Ceurvels Field, is located off Myrtle Street, a five-minute drive southwest of B. Everett Hall Field. In addition to a high quality basketball court, and lacrosse, soccer, and baseball fields there are trails in the wooded area behind the field that connect to the Senior Center and the larger trail network in Hanover. The playing fields are anecdotally used less because of the bugs and wet field conditions; Myrtle Field, unlike B. Everett Hall Field, was built in a low-lying, swampy area.

Hanover’s most recently redesigned park, Forge Pond Park, is linked to this system by trails through preserved forest as well as paved loops around the field complex. It is clear from community feedback gathered in this redesign process that Forge Pond Park truly set the standard for many residents for Hanover’s future parks.

Other recreational open spaces of note are the Hanover High School and Hanover Middle School fields. Between the two neighboring schools are two baseball fields, two softball fields, a football field, track, and eight tennis courts. The Melzar Hatch Wildlands Trust Trails wind between the two properties, across the Drinkwater River.

Ellis Field has four little league baseball fields and a short trail connects to the French’s Stream Trail, which connects with Forge Pond Park in Hanover and the Summer Street Conservation Lands in Rockland. Ellis Field is a five-minute drive east of B. Everett Hall Field.³

The cemetery across Silver Street from B. Everett Hall Field is the only site designated as a historical/cultural open space. Some residents mentioned cutting across the cemetery on foot or bike to access B. Everett Hall field, avoiding the Town Center intersection.