Originally Posted by
MaddMatt
Lee,
Outside fields require constant maintenance and that part is not funded by grants or rec filing fees. Who is going to mow acres of land every week? Ensure it has been watered, weed treated, prepped for the year, etc? This may require another 1 or possibly 2 employees to maintain the acres of parkland for the relatively short season (3 months +- ). That being said, these organizations are made up mostly of town residents and the participants are as well....although at least some accept children from outside the town as well.
If land for soccer, football and lacrosse fields is purchased, it is relatively limited in its' use other than for those sports. The land around the fields could be used for walking trails, exercise stations, and more but the fields themselves are pretty much just for the use of those sports.
My push for the indoor facility focused on the programs, lessons and leagues the town rec dept runs year 'round as well as the potential to rent out for parties, practices and other leagues when there was availability. Any additional labor required would be more along of the line of a cleaner/custodian and not a laborer. There would also be work year 'round for this employee as the facility would be used 12 months out of the year.
The indoor project never got far enough along to get to the budget phase. It would be highly dependent on what was purchased.... vacant land, land with a suitable building, etc. as well as the amenities inside.
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that I am not against the purchase and development of land for these clubs to practice and play. Thousands of town residents benefit from these leagues. I also believe, however, that the town would greatly benefit from a multi-use indoor facility to host their own rec dept activities daily throughout the year.
Matt