Forge Pond Park, Hanover
Hanover’s Forge Pond Park, financed entirely with CPA funds, is the largest recreational complex on the South Shore. Hanover took an uncommon approach to the project, using CPA funds to purchase land for active recreation and then building outdoor recreational facilities on the property.
In 2006, Hanover purchased the 70-acre Cervelli Property with a $1.4M CPA bond, and preserved it with a restriction for active and passive outdoor recreation. About 45 acres of the land is suitable for playing fields. That same year, Hanover also approved using CPA funds to prepare a five-year Recreation and Open Space plan for the town.
Forge Pond Park, previously known as the King Street recreation fields, is 100% CPA-funded. The site hosts three baseball diamonds, three softball diamonds, two multi-use fields, a tournament-sized soccer field, and over a mile of walking trails that wind through a picnic area, ponds, wetlands, and gardens. See the original master plan view.
In 2007, the Hanover Parks and Recreation committee’s Phase I CPA application for $2.5M was approved, and, like the Cervelli purchase, was bonded for 20 years. In 2009, the Hanover CPC approved their $1.6M Phase II application, which would construct the baseball and softball diamonds, and additional walking trails. Phase II was also paid for with a 20 year bond.
The Hanover Youth Athletic Association, together with the Town of Hanover, is responsible for maintenance and programming of Forge Pond Park.