Newfound schools could host community pickleball during colder months

BRISTOL — Local resident Brian Gallagher has asked the Newfound Area School District to consider allowing an adult pickleball group to use school facilities when they are not being used for athletic or academic programs during the winter and spring.

“I’m sure that most of you folks know that pickleball is a wonderful social activity for those of us that are, say, over 25, and it’s rapidly growing throughout the country,” Gallagher said during his pitch to the Newfound Area School Board on Aug. 26.

Noting the Lin-Wood and Winnisquam school districts have arrangements to allow pickleball players to use their facilities, Gallagher said their programs were structured so they would not interfere with school activities.

It "offers the opportunity for adults in the community who really enjoy it to get together and do something like this,” he said.

Gallagher is a new resident of the community, having previously lived in Sanbornton and Lincoln, but is well-known locally for having served as the first business administrator for School Administrative Unit 4 and as a member of the Gunstock Area Commission.

Since taking up residence in Bristol, Gallagher has been involved with the Tapply-Thompson Community Center’s pickleball group, which he says is 45 to 50 people strong.

“[We] play consistently outdoors, and certainly we can do it this time of the year,” he said, but the TTCC’s indoor court is “somewhat limited in the space and the availability.” He is looking toward Newfound as a partner for the winter months.

Dan MacLean, TTCC assistant director, planned to discuss the options with the superintendent’s office, and Gallagher acknowledged there would be concerns about liability, should a player be injured. He said the agreements with the other school districts provide a model for making sure the school district is not held responsible for any injuries or damages.

He also assured the board the group would be responsible for setting up and taking down equipment so the area is left in the condition it was prior to their games.

“So my sort of pitch to you tonight is for the school board, just to think about it in the back of your head,” Gallagher said. “I think it would be a good public relations kind of support for those of us that play, that you know are part of the community, and ... we do support this whole system financially.”