The New Hampshire Supreme Court is now deciding the fate of the appeal that Hanover resident Frederick Crory filed against the Grafton County Superior Court's decision regarding future construction of the Dartmouth Rugby Clubhouse.
Crory filed the appeal with the Supreme Court on July 21, 1998. The College is acting on behalf of the team, asking the court not to hear the case.
For over a year, plans to construct a Rugby Clubhouse near Sachem Field have been stalled by Crory, frustrating the Rugby teams and coaches.
The blueprints for the clubhouse have already been drawn up, and $2 million has been raised for the building.
Wayne Young, the men's rugby coach, said the team is excited about the clubhouse and is "hoping one of these days to start construction."
In August 1997 the Hanover zoning board ruled that the clubhouse is part of the College's academic program and can therefore be built under "education" zoning regulations, which allow more freedom with regards to building ordinances and codes than "recreational facility" zoning regulations.
Crory, who lives near the proposed clubhouse construction site, appealed this decision to the zoning board. He said that by listing the facility as "educational" instead of "recreational," the College avoided codes and regulations to which private Hanover citizens must abide.
Crory sued the Hanover zoning board in October of 1997 when it would not reverse its zoning decision. The case was heard by Grafton County Superior Court Justice Edward Fitzgerald, who ruled in favor of the clubhouse this past summer. Crory is now appealing this decision to the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
Although in the past Crory had said he would drop further actions against the clubhouse if the Supreme Court appeal failed, he now says he will try to change the ordinance itself by taking the issue to the voters of Hanover and the zoning board. He said he wants to make it impossible for an institution like Dartmouth to elude laws and regulations that Hanover residents would face if they tried to undertake similar projects.
