The May meeting of the Benson Park Advisory Committee focused heavily on reviewing and updating park regulations, a task members Sue Clement and Evan Maloney described as a longstanding gap in the town’s policies for Benson Park. Committee members agreed that while the park has grown in popularity and usage over the years, its rules have not kept pace with changing recreation trends, new technology, and increased visitor traffic.
“We’re looking at what rules other town parks are using. We need to redo the park ordinances, so Evan’s been taking that on and researching. I did find some information on it,” Clement said. She noted that Benson Park is unique compared to other municipal parks because of the deed restrictions that came with the property when the town acquired it. “We need to understand what the deed says about what we can’t have in the park.”
The deed, which governs how the former Benson’s Wild Animal Farm property must be used, places strong emphasis on preserving the park’s natural character. Section eight specifies that vehicles are not allowed beyond approved roads in order to maintain a “quiet” environment. The deed also calls for “low-impact” and “passive” recreation, language that has guided the park’s development for years but has become increasingly difficult to interpret as new forms of recreation emerge.
“That was another thing we’ve talked about. Noise has become a little out of control in the park,” Clement said. “Motorized and mechanical transportation is prohibited. We can’t have cars, ATVs, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, and sometimes ebikes. In the deed it says no vehicles, but what we’ve been having trouble with is trying to figure it all out. We’ve had quite a few complaints about how fast the ebikes go – they’ve been getting faster, and there are multiple levels.”
Maloney clarified that the deed appears to permit traditional, non-electric bicycles. However, the term “mechanized vehicles” has created confusion about where the town must draw the line. “Under New Hampshire law, there are the first two classes of bikes that are considered ‘bikes’ and not ‘motorized vehicles,’ and the police provided some clarification on that a couple of weeks ago,” Maloney said, referencing a Hudson Police Department post explaining that traditional bicycles and ebikes of 750 watts or less are treated as bicycles, while electric scooters and more powerful ebikes are considered vehicles. “I think we just need to dig into some of those definitions to come up with a firm stance.”
The committee also discussed whether Benson Park should adopt a speed limit for all bicycles, regardless of type. Clement noted that even non-motorized bikes can cause safety issues if riders travel too quickly on the park’s narrow trails. “It’s something to consider, speed can do damage,” she said, pointing out that the park’s terrain, foot traffic, and mixed-use paths make speed control an important safety consideration.
Enforcement quickly became a central concern. Alternate Harry Schibanoff asked whether a formal ordinance would carry more weight than a simple park rule, especially when dealing with violations involving motorized equipment. Maloney said he had reached out to neighboring communities for guidance. “I did reach out to a couple of neighboring towns, wasn’t able to connect with everyone, but I did talk to someone from Nashua who was really helpful,” he said. “Most of their park policies are under the umbrella of city ordinances. There are set ordinances for police to enforce, and set fines for violations. That would be an important next step for us, to look at our policies in the park to see what is and is not included under existing Hudson ordinances.”
He added that police can enforce a town ordinance, but not park rules unless those rules are tied directly to an ordinance. This distinction has created challenges in recent years, as the park’s popularity has grown and the number of visitors using motorized devices has increased.
Schibanoff asked how Nashua handles enforcement and whether they employ dedicated park staff. Maloney said Nashua’s enforcement is relatively informal and similar to Hudson’s, relying largely on general staff and volunteers rather than a specialized team. The committee acknowledged that Hudson’s limited staffing makes enforcement difficult and that any new rules must be realistic for the town to manage.
The committee also discussed improving park usage forms to give vendors and community groups more flexibility when planning events such as parties or weddings. Benson Park currently has no reservation system and processes usage forms on a first come, first served basis, which members agreed could be modernized to better accommodate the park’s growing popularity.
