Last modified: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 2:42 AM EDT North couple apologizes, must pay for using conservation land for baseball practice BY AMY DeMELIA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF NORTH ATTLEBORO - A local couple is being asked to pay restitution for mowing about an acre of town-owned conservation land and using it for youth baseball practices. John and Suzanne Courtemanche said they mowed a spot on the property, which abuts their Ellis Road home, because the town has no space for children in the AAU baseball program to practice. On Tuesday, they apologized to the conservation commission for mowing the property and said they are more than willing to reimburse the town for the loss of hay that resulted. John Courtemanche explained that the North Attleboro Stars were going to have to practice on fields in Fall River because there is no field space available in town. During a team meeting at the Courtemanche home, they found the conservation land a tempting place to practice. "It's not a big area if you look at the whole property. It was less than an acre on a property that has 30 to 40 acres," Courtemanche said. "We just wanted a spot for the kids to practice. We didn't have bases or lights out there or anything like that." The town-owned property is conservation land that is currently used for passive recreation. "It's not posted property. We moved here in 1995 and there are people on the property all the time. Lots of people walk the trails in there and go horseback riding. There are even hunters back there, sometimes," Courtemanche said. The property is mowed by a local farmer each year for hay - some of which he gets to keep for his effort and some of which is donated to the park and recreation department to feed its zoo animals. Conservation commission members said baseball cannot be played on the property because of liability concerns. "You can't do that," commission Chairman Mark Roberts said. "We all know that space and land is tight, especially for the AAU. But we can't have it because it's conservation commission land and there are liability issues. If a kid got hurt out there, the first thing their parents would do is sue the town." Roberts said that the Courtemanches will be asked to make a donation to the park and recreation department to compensate the town for the loss of the hay. Courtemanche said he will never mow the property again, and added that he thought the conservation commission was fair.