--------------
In analyzing the proposed rates for use of athletic fields, questions linger:
- The current ordinance provides a benefit to taxpayers who are already paying for field upkeep and a $33MM bond as everyone shares in the cost of field use - local and non-local users. Why change this?
- Who benefits the most financially from reducing or eliminating user fees - private organizations?
- The proposed new ordinance does not say," fees are not negotiable and can not be waived" as the current one does. Does that mean that under the new ordinance required fees could be negotiated or waived?
- If, under the new ordinance, first priority users and nonprofits are exempt from paying any fees for the use of any fields, except Palmer Field, why would they give donations for field usage time?
- Are the fees for weekend use of Palmer $150 per game or $150 per day? If it's per day, will this cover employee overtime costs?
- There appears to be a typo or discrepancy in this statement for Palmer Field: WHEREAS, the Commission has established the following rates for Palmer Field for Middletown Post 75 American Legion as well as Second, and Third Priority users ... Why are Xavier, Mercy and Vinal NOT listed here? Does this leave it up to the Director's discretion or are they NOT being charged a fee to play at Palmer Field? Xavier has ten games at Palmer this season - half of which are at night ($125/game). Is this a special consideration for this private school?
- Will fees/donations from nonresident teams cover Public Works employees' overtime costs - nights and weekends?
- The proposed ordinance allows tournament fees to be decided on an individual basis. Why not keep the current fee structure as it is in the current ordinance?
- According to the new ordinance first priority users like Mercy, Xavier and Legion would not have to pay for Pat Kidney Field. Why is that when the teams are comprised of a majority nonresidents and in the current ordinance they are required to pay?
- Why are fees being eliminated instead of reduced for Pat Kidney when we just spent over $6MM to renovate it?
- If second priority user requirements are being reduced to 60% residency, you would think it’s being reduced from what the first priority user requirement is, but it is not because there is no minimum residency requirement for first priority users. Why is there not a minimum percentage of residents required for first priority users? Is this to give special consideration to private organizations that can not meet a minimum requirement?
- If Xavier and Mercy are first priority users, why are their athletic fields NOT listed as available for Middletown residents?
The city seems to be moving away from fields for all to use and toward fields for just a few ... an advantage for private organizations, perhaps?
The proposed Ordinance 214-37 Field Usage and fees ordinance will be discussed and possibly voted on at the Common Council meeting this Monday, April 1, at 7pm.
2 comments:
Leaving issues of equity aside for a moment (though they are very important), a critical question arises from all these other questions: what is the net budgetary impact to the city of the proposed ordinance? I hope the city has carried out an analysis and that it will be shared during discussion of the proposal tonight.
There is a simple solution to all of this. Schedule an appointment with Bill Russo and talk to him. Palmer Field is a premier facility. With the current upgrades and planned fixes, this field becomes a destination for great baseball. It really makes sense to have a user fee applied to it. In the past, first priority users were first, Ahern Whalen, second American Legion, third was the former Twilight league team run by Buzzy Levine. Times have changed, and with the addition of the Pat Kidney site, it’s possible to now move Ahern Whalen to that facility. The issue becomes now American Legion has developed numerous teams as feeder programs into their premier program. That alongside of many AAU teams eyeing these facilities has put pressure on the city to schedule these sites. I don’t believe there is anything sneaky about what happens for baseball. I just think it’s a way to prioritize who gets first usage. The city high schools have always been given the use of Palmer for some of their late season games because of the importance of them. May 1st was always the opening date for Pa;met because of spring flooding issues and the field was never ready early in the high school seasons.
Xavier, Middletown High, and Vinal all have used the facility in the past. This field does not promote softball because the diamond is baseball regulation and would be difficult to adjust. The Pat Kidney field is perfect for that type of game for Mercy, MHS, and Vinal. The only field in the past that was available from the high school situation was Vinal Tech. MHS and the board of education has limited the school fields usage to strictly their teams. Mercy and Xavier are private schools and they maintain their facilities on their budgets, they are not public facilities. I do believe there is some smoke on how the 33 million field improvements monies were used, but I think those are separate issues and shouldn’t be confused here. I suggest really not confusing the two, and ask questions separate of those monies. The soccer fields usage and upgrades seem to be a hornets nest, and should not be confused into the baseball issue. That way people have a better understanding of why the city needs to address scheduling and usage conflicts.
Post a Comment