Reported Opinion: Fields Decisions Do Not Serve City Residents Well

Submitted by Jennifer Mahr. 
Mahr has previously highlighted problems with a proposed ordinance about field use policies, in particular that some teams with a majority of city residents might have a lower priority than some teams with very few city residents. 
Here she details the history of this proposed ordinance and reports on the decisions to raid the funds for new field construction. It seems that at the same time that City Hall was claiming no need for new fields, it was also claiming that the need for field time necessitated a discriminatory field use policy.
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Despite a series of unanswered questions posed to the Common Council on March 15th and March 19th, the Director of Public Works, Bill Russo, insisted via email on March 20th that proposed Ordinance 214-37 Field Usage and Fees will move forward for approval at the Common Council meeting on Monday, April 1.

“This new agreement almost mirrors the existing one and it’s basically a language clean-up. I consider this matter closed…” Russo went on to say, “I also believe the other 1500 people that come through our school sports, rec programs etc are satisfied with the user agreement.”

The first mention of the Director of Public Works and the Deputy City Attorney initiating an ordinance revision is found in the September 2018 and December 2018 Public Works & Facilities Commission (PW&FC) meeting minutes.

In September, Director Russo said “…the large number of requests coming in from those that want to use the facilities cannot be met.” By December, he explained that “the purpose of the work done on the Field Usage Agreements was to recognize the institutions that have been playing in Middletown for years.”

But here’s the rub: if Public Works started the ordinance revision because more field use requests were coming in than could be handled, why was the answer to reduce the number of field users?

The current ordinance clearly states that “any person may use Pat Kidney field, Smith Park, Hubbard Little League and Snow School fields” and “any person may use Palmer Field for the appropriate uses approved by the Public Works and Facilities Commission” if a specified set of requirements are met. This language seems to assume a rotation between all eligible users.

The proposed ordinance greatly expands the number of fields covered to include fields at Bielefield School, Donovan Park, Hubbard Romagielli, Hubbard Barone, Lawrence School, Ron McCutchen, Snow School, Smith Park, Country Club Road, Pat Kidney, Palmer Field, Moody School, Spencer School, Vinal Technical High School, and Long Hill Road, but essentially limits use to named First Priority users.

Director Russo stated at the December 2018 PW&FC meeting:

The message needs to be that the amount of time given to 2nd and 3rd priority groups will be limited. 2nd and 3rd priority users can utilize fields that are not scheduled. Public Works is not saying that teams cannot use the field we are saying that there is a priority structure in place. Once we open it up to one we need to open it up to everyone.

When and where will there ever be a field that is not scheduled? What’s wrong with trying to schedule everyone who wants field time?

Even if there is an unscheduled moment, “In determining field usage, attention needs to be paid to field maintenance. Because Middletown has grass field versus turf times will need to be set aside to complete field maintenance to preserve the fields.” (December 2018 PW&FC minutes)

Recently, some members of a Middletown High School sports team experienced how seriously field conditions are taken: while trying to play a pickup game on the upper Pat Kidney field, they were told this was not permitted, because the grass “wasn’t ready for play.” They were also told that they should have called to see if the field was even available to play on.

Hmmm…kids saw grass at a park and wanted to play on it. That’s a huge problem.

So the question now becomes, why does Middletown have a shortage of fields? Didn’t we just take out a $33M 21st Century Parks bond? Let’s look at that bond more carefully. In images to the right is the May 2, 2016, Common Council resolution approving the original spending priorities.


The original draft of this resolution, found in the April 4, 2016, Common Council minutes, includes this language:

Whereas, the 21st Century Parks Committee is hereby charged with the following responsibilities: 

1. Identify and make appropriate recommendations to the Common Council for the location of additional sites for new athletic grass fields.

Clearly, more grass fields were a high priority in 2016. The Grass Fields line started with $2,920,000 in it.

By February 6, 2017, the first major transfer of monies OUT of the Grass Fields line occurred. Director Russo’s explanation for transferring $500K to the Butternut Hollow Park Playscapes: “Public Works and Facilities Commission heard from Little League and Soccer when we put the budget together there was money for six additional fields and they told us if we light Country Club Field 2 and East Main Street they wouldn't need new fields. They budgeted $500,000 per field; two fields would be $1 million and we earmarked about $100,000 for the playscape and after the Commission heard a presentation for different playscapes. It will be $364,000 to build it but it will last for 20 years. It is the best place for it. It is out in the open and there will be security cameras and the money we save not to provide grass fields, we can transfer the money to the playscapes.”

In September 5, 2017, another $1,000,000 was taken from the Grass Fields line (plus an additional $1,500,000 from the Pat Kidney Improvement Account), this time for Palmer Field’s ever-expanding renovation. A most interesting conversation takes place during that day’s Special Meeting, Questions to Director’s Workshop:

Councilwoman Bartolotta asks how the determination was made about the grass fields. Director Russo responds: “working with Little League, using the bond funds, the City was able to light the fields at Hubbard Field near Harbor Park. Now that the field is lit, they get more play time at that location and Little League has now reported that they do not need more fields. With Frank Marchese in youth soccer, the second field at Country Club Road is lit so they have more playing time. They have now told Public Works Commission that with the field lit, they do not need additional grass fields. They can utilize this field.”
Councilwoman Bartolotta goes on to ask if the City can keep up with the pace of growing youth sports by decreasing the number of fields available. Director Russo replied that “they watch the soccer and lacrosse numbers and believes it has maxed out, having remained steady for the last two (2) years. There is growth in a couple of sports such as Frisbee football. There is now no need to build new fields for that activity. These teams are on existing school fields at grass field at the City schools, places like Keigwin. The City does not need to build team fields.”
Councilwoman Bartolotta replied that “sitting on the Parks & Recreation Commission, in conducting interviews, that Commission hears their point of view, saying that building new fields cannot happen quick enough. This was a big question during the parks referendum.”

In June of 2018, another $800,000 was transferred from the Grass Fields line to the Palmer Field Entry & Bleacher Repair Line for “additional improvements.” From the June 27, 2018 Finance and Government Operations Commission meeting minutes: “Bill Russo explained that they have
installed lighting at the current ball fields which allows 35 extra time slots now available for games to be played under the lights, so the need for extra grass fields no longer a priority at this time. The funds will be reallocated to the football side of Palmer Field to make it ADA compliant and for repairs to the locker rooms (water damage).”

The July 2, 2018 Common Council meeting further explains why no grass fields are needed, with Councilman Nocera saying:

When the Common Council approved the feasibility study for our parks, which badly needed repair, the report, having been done in 2014 and was approved in 2015, called for expansion of grass fields. That was the feasibility study. When the real hard work occurred, the planning of what to do with the bond money, there were good meetings with representatives for the fields -- presidents from little league and soccer and board of education – made it very clear that they were looking to having the fields lit up to expand the time it could be used. We undertook that so no all but one has lights with state of the art lighting, work which was very well done. This activity to light the fields has given the City 35 additional slots so students can play during the day and evening. We have seen that occur and the results are very positive. That line item to build additional fields has shrunk. Like any good planning, we are trying to do what makes sense in a collaborative process.

Councilman Giuliano agreed: “at risk of being repetitive, ditto to what Councilman Nocera has just said. He offers a little history: the original requirement for the new field was to provide 40 additional game slots per week. The lighting provides 35 additional slots. We could light one more field at Smith Park behind Moody School and that would give us 7 more slots for a total of 42 slots. The reason why it is not important to do this is that the numbers for little league and softball have gone down. We could get the slots, but would likely not use them all. Clearly, the need originally identified is being addressed in a slightly different approach than originally contemplated. What was originally contemplated was six (6) field in addition to all we had we already have, adding that the City does not own the property to put the fields on. The money set aside to build the six (6) field did not include – did not completely address- having to acquire land we do not already own. Between the Public Works & Facilities Commission and the

21st Century Parks fund, the most responsible approach to this problem has been taken. As Councilman Nocera said, the condition of the locker rooms and rest rooms on the football side of Palmer Field is deplorable. The commitment to Palmer Field, to making it a premier facility and the envy of other communities, to leave that work it undone is not justifiable. While we are out there, doing the work that we are doing to the field, those locker rooms and rest rooms need to be addressed and be repaired and constructed to the level of everything else we are doing out there. He supports this wholeheartedly and urges his colleagues to do the same.”

Now we are back to where we started. 
In June 2018, the Director of Public Works didn’t need new grass fields because he asked soccer and little league if they needed any, and the answer was no. MYS and the town were gearing up to start the Country Club Road Soccer Complex, and the town had already paid $225,000 for lights at Hubbard Little League and Country Club Road Soccer Field #2 back in December of 2016.

But just two months later, in September of 2018, Director Russo apparently had so many field use requests, which clearly conflicted with the preferred users already using up the whole schedule, that he had to find a new way to legislate exclusion, and proposed Ordinance 214-27 was born.

Did you notice that $5,280,000 was initially budgeted for a Country Club Soccer Complex and a Long Hill Road Complex? Did you also notice that the 21st Century Parks Committee includes Frank Marchese, the President of Sporting CT, Middletown Youth Soccer’s Premier Soccer Club?

Asking MYS if Middletown needs additional grass fields is like asking any season ticket holder if he has tickets to all the home games he wants to attend. The answer will always be “I’m good.”

Cathy Lechowicz, Director of Middletown’s Recreation and Community Services, confirmed on March 26th that for a long time now, Middletown has handed control of town sport “rec programs” to private organizations who receive grant funds to run these programs for the town. Those organizations, listed in the current Middletown Recreation & Community Services Brochure, are Ahern Whalen Baseball, Men and Women’s Softball, Middletown Little League, Middletown Youth Football & Cheerleading, Middletown Youth Soccer, Middletown Youth Lacrosse and Prof. Gallitto Youth Basketball.

There is no doubt that all of these organizations have done great things for Middletown kids - they are paid taxpayer money to do so. Not all of them operate exclusively for Middletown residents, with some having layers of responsibilities that include rec sports as well as private premier clubs. Some have been around much longer than others, but does it really matter?

I’d argue no, and saying so doesn’t diminish any sports team’s value added for Middletown. We shouldn’t waste one breath arguing over which organization has “done the most” for Middletown, or whether Middletown kids are being crowded out by non-residents. The proposed ordinance is only a very small part of a much larger problem.

The real problem is the misguided Common Council notion that Middletown doesn’t need any more grass fields. Further compounding the initial problem is the incomprehensible management philosophy that Middletown fields are only for a few main users. Director Russo told me that all the sports people were going to show up at the Common Council meeting on Monday to confirm how pleased they were with the new fields ordinance. This is no surprise at all, them being the season ticket holders.

What can you do? If you agree that Middletown taxpayers should pay for fields for a chosen few because we have all we need anyway, don’t do anything. Public Works has already done a great job of convincing the Common Council this is the case.

If you believe the purpose of the 21st Century Parks Bond was to fund a city-wide refurbishment of public open spaces, then you had better speak your mind at the Common Council meeting on Monday, April 1 at 7pm. If the proposed field usage ordinance and accompanying fee resolution passes, the chances of getting any more fields are slim to none, and field exclusion will be city policy.

We already know that adding lights to extend field night use did not solve the problem - there are still more requests than can be scheduled. With no additional grass fields, the opportunity for sports other than the current favorites to take root and flourish in Middletown will be impossible - you have Director Russo’s word on that.
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Jennifer Mahr is Chair of the Westfield Residents Association, but is not speaking on behalf of the organization. She is the manager of a Sporting CT team in the MYS league, and is the parent of a Mercy sophomore and 2018 Xavier graduate.