BETHEL — The Board of Selectmen unanimously voted Monday evening to table approval on a referendum question that would allow the town to vote on the possible construction of a dog park at Davis Park using donated funds.

Selectman Peter Southam made a motion to table approval on the referendum question until the May 6 selectmen’s meeting. That would give time to investigate a warrant article request that would facilitate the construction of a basketball court at Davis Park — the same site that the Newry resident Steve Wight is pursuing for a Bethel Dog Park.

According to Town Manager Jim Doar, the article would ask if the basketball court should be approved if the dog park is turned down at the referendum.

The request for the basketball court began in March after resident Jarrod Crockett told the board he had been contacted by parents interested in the idea of a basketball court, due to limited recreational facilities in town. Shortly after, resident Todd Wheeler began circulating a petition to get the warrant question on the town warrant.

In a letter to Doar, Wheeler cited reasons a basketball court would be more beneficial to the town than a dog park, including Bethel’s lack of recreational facilities, Davis Park’s proximity to parking and the fact that the basketball court would not require the re-routing of a nearby snowmobile trail.

Wight said at Monday night’s meeting that he didn’t see why the town couldn’t have both a dog park and a basketball court.

“I’m sorry this has turned into an either-or situation,” Wight said. “It’s not like the town has a pot of money that they could either give to the dog park or the basketball court. They’re not going to give a pot of money to anybody. What we’re both asking is to give a gift to the town, so let’s not say, ‘We should have this instead of that.’”

Selectman Don Bennett said he would be amenable to a committee being formed so a comprehensive plan on the basketball court could be drafted.

“Maybe this way, we can wade our way through it,” Bennett said. “It will give us time to step back and think about what our other options are, and give us a chance to think about how we can have both and not have it be quite so contentious.”

Southam told the board, “This is a really exciting opportunity to look and see what the recreational needs, wants and desires are for Bethel, and to figure out some kind of long-range plan for Davis Park.” He later added that he believed “a committee is the way to go.”

The board said they would begin advertising for a “five- to seven-position basketball court committee.”

mdaigle@sunjournal.com

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