Turf Wars
That's the name of a feature piece on the cover of the CT section of tomorrow's Sunday NY Times. The stage is set:
Many communities that have not invested in artificially surfaced fields are now feeling pressure to follow suit. But not everyone is embracing synthetic turf, citing the considerable expense. For a multisport synthetic surface the size of a football field, the cost ranges from $600,000 to $1,000,000 for installation, and up to $5,000 a year for maintenance, according to industry sources. In several communities, the debate over installing turf has pitted suburban parents and sports boosters against residents wary of higher taxes.The article continues:
Some taxpayers, particularly in NJ, are saying enough is enough. Two weeks ago, voters in Glen Ridge, soundly rejected a $6.9million bond issue that would have included $2million to replace two existing fields with synthetic turf.I found that interesting. For a while now, I've had the feeling that any referendum questions for "open space" or "recreation" will be rejected by the voters. Also of interest was a mention that there are an estimated 30 turf fields in CT... although I'm not sure which neighboring towns have them, besides Wolcott.
But the fields are getting built. Greenwich and Westport are each installing multiple turf fields, although funding is beginning with significant private donations before asking taxpayers to get involved. And another town, Basking Ridge,
was able to put in turf by raising half the money privately, and the other half with a loan secured by contracts with local youth athletic leagues who pay $5,000 to $10,000 a year to have access.If the turf issue is of interest to you, you may want to pick up a copy of tomorrow's NY Times or check it out at the library.
Tim White
Town Council, 4th District
12 comments:
It has come time to "pay to play." The total costs for all high school sports should be paid by the parents of the kids who play. That includes; coaches salaries, buses, uniforms, equipment etc. The Twirling Team had 7 coaches for 18 girls, plus it is mandated by the coaches there has to be two parnets at all practices, in case of injuries. Why? because the coaches have stated they do not have the time to take care of injuries or other problesms during practice. One coach even drives up here three times a week from New Jersey to coach. Where has common sense gone to?
Remove the total athletice budget from the BOE budget, let the parents pay the costs and they can have whatever they want.
But wait, color guard is a CREDIT course at CHS, not an extra-curricular activity. They practice DURING the school day in the fall. (I guess their after school practice is considered extra help.) Of course, this is why we need a full time reading teacher there. Where has common sense gone to indeed.
When it comes to the University of Rte 10, there is no bounds to the wants of the parents. They want everything for their little darlings - including someone else to pay for it.
Is there any fee for extracurriculars this year? It seems to change every year.
No, there is no fee this year to participate in extra-curricular activities at CHS. The parking fee is $125 per year for students.
I wouldn't want anyone to be excluded due to an inability to pay. But even when I was at CHS (fall '86 to spring '90 - running track & cross country), I never understood why I didn't pay some sort of fee for the gas for the buses and whatnot. I thought I should have paid something though.
(But unlike those two sports, I believe the other sports have costs often borne by parents. Correct?)
Apparently, when it comes to being gutless, there are no bounds either. Some people get their jollies showing up 17 year old kids at board of education meeting (you know who you are) while others say stuff online that they wouldn't dare say to the parents of these kids. Oh and for what it's worth, anon 10:58 a.m. parents in a number of school actvities already pay to pay. Get the facts before you go mouthing off.
My daughter tried out for a sport in 7th grade at DODD..she didnt make the team and was very disappointed. Instead of giving up on the sport she actually worked for a year to get better. This year (8th grade)she made the team after trying out again. I dont know when I was prouder,after she was cut and said she was going to work at it for the following year or when she finally made the team. When she made the team, she met a new group of kids and expanded her developing social life. This is what youth sports is all about. Giving a kid a chance, thru GAMES, to increase their self esteem, make new friends, work as a team, etc. Its not about having the cutting edge pool(?), a turf field or spring and fall little league...thats about the adults. If you left it up to the kids, I suspect things would be diffrent. Be careful when talking about sports funding...some parents/kids use it for the right thing that will benefit them more in the future than alot of the silly classes we offer.
anon 3:29.....not everyone is like that..here is a parent that doesnt like the give "jr" everything he wants, and it better be the best, mentality.
What I always love is the parents of greduated Cheshire students who had all of this paid for when their kids were there, now saying it should be pay to play. They had it paid for and now don't want to pay. It is a JOKE. The facts will also show that the sports budget is very small compared to the overall budget.
Over the years, parents have always kicked in money for the sports teams that their kids played in. The dues for parents ranged from $50 to $150 depending on the sport. My kids were in 4 differnt sports and they all had clubs that had dues that went to the kids. Most parents paid and said nothing. The parents that couldn't pay were subsidized by the rest so noone was excluded. It was the parents that paid for the field hockey and softball scoreboards and it did not come out of the BOE budget. If your kids are involved, then pony up some extra cash!!!!
8:36 The overall sports budget is over $500,000. Not quite a drop in the bucket. If you took the salaries & benefits out of the budget which are numbers we're stuck with for now, it would be quite a good chunk of the remainder.
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