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Thread: Residents cry foul over football fields in Orchard Park

  1. #1
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Residents cry foul over football fields in Orchard Park

    Residents cry foul over football fields in Orchard Park

    Sean Kelley first noticed the disturbance to the pastoral land behind his Orchard Park home in mid-June.

    "We woke up to bulldozers, literally, after Father's Day, that Monday," said the Ferndale Drive resident.
    https://buffalonews.com/2018/07/14/r...box=1531575286


    The future came sooner than expected for some. Town Supervisor Patrick J. Keem sent a letter to residents in late June telling them a football complex with four fields would be built on the property. There also would be a concession stand and press box, as well as a parking lot.

    Now, the supervisor says it will only be two fields: a practice field and a playing field, which would have the lights that Little Loop parents paid to install on the existing field. There also would be bleachers and a restroom. The fields would replace the two Little Loop football fields at the town's Brush Mountain recreation area on California Road.

    "We have the right to develop that property," the supervisor said. "We own it."
    "We own it.." I'm assuming he means the property owners.. including the people who currently use the property for:

    Residents want to preserve the land as it is, as a greenway for walking, biking, jogging and similar activities that protect the wildlife living on the land.
    What is wrong with the current football fields?

    The fields would replace the two Little Loop football fields at the town's Brush Mountain recreation area on California Road.

    There were no plans to move the Little Loop football field when the $16 million Community Activities Center at Brush Mountain was proposed. The idea was for players to walk off the field near the center and use the locker rooms.

    Lot of money. I remember Pat campaigning how many of the kids of his dental patients move out of the area because of taxes.

    There is about 29,600 people in OP. $16 million is about $540 per person.

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Sort of makes no sense. They should just use the area that is already being used.

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    Member leftWNYbecauseofBS's Avatar
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    More entitled homeowners thinking that undeveloped land they don't own somehow belongs to them.

    It's town land. It was purchased for and zone for rec space. It's being converted to rec space. It's not rocket science.

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Quote Originally Posted by leftWNYbecauseofBS View Post
    More entitled homeowners thinking that undeveloped land they don't own somehow belongs to them.

    It's town land. It was purchased for and zone for rec space. It's being converted to rec space. It's not rocket science.
    Money science... not rocket science.

    It's basically $540 per person in OP.

    What is physically wrong with the two current football fields?

    Did something happen that kids can not play football on those fields any longer?

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    Member leftWNYbecauseofBS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    Money science... not rocket science.

    It's basically $540 per person in OP.

    What is physically wrong with the two current football fields?

    Did something happen that kids can not play football on those fields any longer?
    Did you even read the article?

    Where the fields are now they are going to build a community center. That community center will go on parts of the current football fields. So the football fields are moving here. The reason why this happened is they discovered they could not put the community center on a different part of the project due to wetlands. If they could have, the fields would have stayed here.

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Yes. Why build a community center where the old fields are. Build the center somewhere else. Save the cost of making new fields.

    16 million is still 16 million which is a lot of money.

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    Member steven's Avatar
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    So should they just head to Kmart and purchase some $200 slides and call it a day?

    Well maintained recreation areas cost money and contribute to quality of life.

    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    16 million is still 16 million which is a lot of money.
    Not really when you consider the lights for the field, the electric and sewage that has to be run to the community center etc.

    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    Build the center somewhere else.
    where?
    People who wonder if the glass is half empty or full miss the point. The glass is refillable.

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    Youth football participation is WAY down. They don't need a new football complex. It's a dying sport.

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    Member sharky's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    Build the center somewhere else.
    They build it where they're going to build the new football fields
    Vote for freedom, not political parties.
    Politicians need to cut spending

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Quote Originally Posted by steven View Post
    So should they just head to Kmart and purchase some $200 slides and call it a day?

    Well maintained recreation areas cost money and contribute to quality of life.



    Not really when you consider the lights for the field, the electric and sewage that has to be run to the community center etc.



    where?
    Ferndale residents and others use the land for hiking and biking, and they have fashioned trails through the grass and trees.

    Orchard Park is home to the Buffalo Bills, the highly regarded Orchard Park High School Quakers and the Little Loop teams that feed the high school team. But not everyone is crazy about football, especially when it could be in their back yard.
    What is wrong with quality of life based from a nice quiet park / green space area? Just looking from another point of view. Lot more people can enjoy a walk or bike paths than play football. Pretty sure the upkeep is less in the long run.

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