User fees spark protest from Little League, soccer families

City seeks ways to fund improvements at park

Council hearing Jan. 16

By Oakley Brooks

A city parks board recommendation to charge added fees for sports groups at Congress Springs Park has some parents and coaches wondering if their groups are being unfairly singled out among city recreationists.

Several weeks ago, in an effort to match use fees with the costs and improved condition of the renovated sports complex, the city's parks and recreation commission settled on a $15-per-child annual fee for members of Saratoga's chapters of the American Youth Soccer Association and Little League.

That would be in addition to the annual maintenance contract between the organizations and the city, an agreement that has traditionally cost both organizations $1,500 per year for use of Congress Springs and other city parks.

The city council will only begin discussing a new user fee on Jan. 16. But already sports leaders and worried parents say the fee exacts too high a toll on groups that have already sunk thousands of dollars of their own money into a park that should be easily accessible to taxpayers.

"The baseball community paid a lot to get this park [refurbished]," says Saratoga League President Keith Simon, whose group has committed $60,000 already to Congress Springs and plans to put in $90,000 more over the next three years. "This is a public park, and the city has an obligation to provide these amenities. There does seem to be some payment necessary to help the city, but I don't think it should be exorbitant."

Simon suggested the city charge $10 per player when the issue came before the parks commission Dec. 10.

But soccer leaders said even that much of a user fee is excessive, when combined with a maintenance fee.

Mark Chapman, a local AYSO coaching coordinator, says the use fee would be inconsistent if only applied to the 1,700 youngsters on the rosters of the baseball and soccer organizations.

"If it's not going to be a public park, put a fence around it and put turnstiles up and have everyone put in 75 cents," baseball and soccer coach Dennis Farmer says.

"These kids should not be revenue generators for the city," he said.

But several parks commissioners say that since soccer and baseball groups will be the primary users at Congress Springs, they should be replenishing some of the city park funds that went toward the facility.

According to Commissioner Nick Seroff, AYSO and Little League serve about 20 percent of the total sports participants in Saratoga. To lay professional-level turf down at Congress Springs for a facility that both parks commissioners and sports leaders agree will be a jewel, the city had to use all $1.4 million of its park development fund.

City officials say the fund, supplied by fees from new development in the city--will only slowly refill.

In the meantime, the city council has decided to dip into Saratoga's general fund for forthcoming improvements at El Quito and Azule parks. However, parks commission Chairwoman Elaine Clabeaux says that in the future, development funds could be used for spot improvements to things like basketball courts and play equipment throughout the city--improvements she believes will serve young soccer and baseball players when they aren't on the field at Congress Springs.

Photos: Eucalyptus tree and planting daffodils

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