Several people mentioned they would no longer feel safe just walking the Glen due to the possibility of being struck by a high-speed flying disc.”

David Reise, Town Council

If we go down the full safety route, we have to discuss everything that goes down at the Glen — horseback riding, softball, all of it.”

Keith Hamilton, Town Council president

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was updated at 11:53 p.m. on Oct. 30 to add excerpts from a letter written by Karen M. Cullinan of Martha's Vineyard.

PORTSMOUTH — Seven weeks after the Town Council narrowly approved a two-year trial of an 18-basket disc golf course at town-owned Glen Park, opponents returned to Town Hall Monday night hoping for another chance to stop the plan.

They were unsuccessful, at least for now.

Despite a 100-minute discussion that revisited many of the same arguments aired in August and September, council members took no action on councilman David Reise’s request to reopen the matter.

Reise placed the item on Monday’s agenda under “discussion of new information presented by citizens and in related correspondence regarding disc golf at Glen Park.” But before debate began, Councilman Juan Carlos Payero questioned whether the discussion was even allowed.

“Discussion on an already voted-upon item, according to Robert’s Rules, can only be brought forward on two different motions: a motion to rescind, and a motion to reconsider,” said Payero. “And it also was not on the agenda.”

Because Reise voted against the project on Sept. 8, he was not eligible to make a motion to reconsider.

Council President Keith Hamilton allowed the conversation to proceed, while noting that any motion to rescind would have to come from one of the four members who originally supported the course.

“If there is new information, and I don’t believe any of this is new information, you are correct,” Hamilton told Payero. “But I’m gonna let it go forward temporarily to see where it goes.”

Safety and suitability concerns

Reise said several residents contacted him after the council’s September vote with new concerns about safety, planning, and the suitability of Glen Park for disc golf.

“Several people mentioned they would no longer feel safe just walking the Glen due to the possibility of being struck by a high-speed flying disc,” Reise said. “Very little information about safety to non-players was presented prior to the vote.”

He argued that a professional course planner should be hired to determine whether Glen Park — which hosts multiple activities including equestrian events, softball, and dog walking — is appropriate for disc golf.

“There’s nothing wrong about disc golf,” Reise said. “It might be just this isn’t the right site for it.”

Hamilton countered that the town cannot single out disc golf for special scrutiny when other activities at the park also carry risks.

“If we go down the full safety route, we have to discuss everything that goes down at the Glen — horseback riding, softball, all of it,” he said.

Proponents push back

Roderick Dubay, who proposed the course along with Dan Maher, told the council it was unfair to compare disc golf to traditional golf and that most courses safely coexist with walking trails.

“All of the other activities at the Glen are far more dangerous than disc golf,” Dubay said, citing national injury statistics for playgrounds, horses, and organized sports.

He said the Glen layout had been redesigned multiple times to avoid overlap with other uses and nearby homes. “We’ve been planning this for the past year with the Recreation Department and the council,” he said. “Not a single death has happened due to a disc.”

Dubay also addressed a letter from a Martha’s Vineyard woman whose husband lost an eye in a 2010 disc golf accident, saying the courts ruled it an isolated incident caused by the man’s own actions. 

“The gentleman jumped up and tried to catch the disc,” Dubay said. “That is the reason why he got hit in the eye with the disc. He tried to sue the town, he tried to sue Innova (the maker of the disc), and none of those suits went through. A jury came to the conclusion that disc golf is not inherently dangerous, and that it was his own fault. It was a horrible accident, but it was due to his negligence that this happened, and that was proven in court by a jury.."

After this article was originally published, the writer of that letter, Karen M. Cullinan, called Dubay’s claim that her husband had attempted to catch the disc a “lie” in a letter to the Town Council.

“He was a doctor in his late 60s when he got hit and would never try to catch a disc … they are uncatchable!” she wrote. “He was on a dirt trail after running when he got hit out of nowhere. Yes it is true that a jury deemed the occurrence was a accident, immediately, and therefore stopped the proceedings and never rendered any verdicts on any other issues that we brought forth … such as for the inherent danger of disc golf or its design in a multi-use area.”

Cullinan said Dubay didn’t mention the couple “fought for five years and won every legal hurdle to continue to trial. This verdict freed the State Forest from any liability.”

Cullinan added she wanted to participate in Monday’s meeting but was unable to connect via Zoom.

Residents voice frustration

Several nearby residents said they felt excluded from the decision-making process.

Thomas Pening of Glen Road said the proposal advanced with “a lack of transparency and communication.” He cited missing Parks and Recreation Committee minutes from several meetings and said residents “haven’t had a fair opportunity” to weigh in.

Others cited personal safety and environmental concerns. Cynthia Burke, who has walked her dogs at the Glen for 30 years, said her pets chase frisbees and balls and she would no longer feel comfortable visiting.

Emily Skeehan questioned whether Glen Park’s size and wetlands made it a viable site. “Glen Park is identified by the town as a local conservation area,” she said, adding that Ninigret Park in Charlestown, home to a popular disc golf course, spans 220 acres.

Hunter Shinn also challenged the park’s capacity, saying an 18-basket course typically requires 30 to 40 acres, while the Glen’s core area is less than 10. Hamilton responded that Glen Park proper covers 38 acres and that the plan does not interfere with existing activities.

Traffic, liability, and ‘vision’

Some residents raised liability and insurance questions, but Hamilton said the town’s insurer, the Rhode Island Interlocal Risk Management Trust, had already cleared the project. “We were told there will be no increase in our premiums,” he said.

Others worried about traffic. Resident Bryce Helie cited town data showing vehicle volume on Glen Road has increased 62 percent since 2021, from about 1,450 cars per day to 2,400. She said a disc golf course would bring more visitors and greater risk to pedestrians.

Martha Cummings said she finds “company in the quiet” of Glen Park and urged the council to protect it as a place of calm and open space. “I fully believe that space heals people,” she said.

Trial plan proceeds — for now

After nearly two hours of public comment and debate — at times testy between members — Hamilton ended discussion without a vote.

“I think this can be done safely, the way it’s set up now,” he said. “This was put to bed a month ago.”

Hamilton reminded residents that the course was approved for a two-year probationary period to gauge its impact. “It is not a permanent installation,” he said. “If all these concerns come to light, then it will not be renewed.”

Council member Mary McDowell, who voted against the course, said that after hearing Monday’s testimony, “I do believe the vote would have been different.”

Hamilton disagreed, adding the council had provided “multiple opportunities” for public input.

Memorandum of agreement

In a related matter, the council voted unanimously to direct the parks and recreation director and the town’s legal team to draft a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the potential stakeholders and users of the disc golf facility. 

The MOA will be brought back to the council for a vote at a future meeting.