Council candidates: Field issue needs more discussion

Potential fee increase vote could be in January

Posted 10/2/18

Should youth sports leagues in Barrington pay more to use the town's athletic fields?

Maybe, said the candidates running for the Barrington Town Council, but not before there's a greater …

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Council candidates: Field issue needs more discussion

Potential fee increase vote could be in January

Posted

Should youth sports leagues in Barrington pay more to use the town's athletic fields?

Maybe, said the candidates running for the Barrington Town Council, but not before there's a greater discussion.

Democrats Michael Carroll and Jacob Brier and Republican Steve Primiano said town officials and sports league administrators need to work through the specifics of a potential fee increase before the next town council votes on the issue.

"I think a fee-based structure makes sense," said Mr. Brier, "but not doing it without the leagues and the families."

Mr. Brier said the current field use fee of $10 per player per year might be too low, but added that there needs to be a conversation before any change is made. 

Mr. Primiano, an incumbent, shared a similar message.

"I don't want to solve our fiscal problems on the backs of youth sports leagues," he said, adding that he supported a "thoughtful review of fees."

Mr. Carroll, the current council president, said he plans on calling for a workshop that would be focused entirely on athletic fields and the potential field use fee increase. He said a workshop would allow for more time than the 2-minute comment period offered at council meetings.

"The frustration is that the fields are not in good shape," he said, adding that better fields will cost more money. "We have to decide if that cost is going to be paid for through taxes, or through fees to the athletic teams or some combination. I think it's going to have to be a combination..." 

Mr. Carroll said the potential field use fee increase was not scheduled to be introduced at this month's council meeting. He said it would likely be introduced at a future meeting and voted upon in January. 

The proposed field use fee increase was drafted by Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha and calls for a few changes to the fee structure. If approved, the field use fee would increase from $10 per player each year to $25 per player each season, and there will be a new tournament rate of $200 per day for Level I (better condition) fields and $100 per day for Level II fields. There would also be a single-day-use rate for "low utilization" adult and youth leagues of $75 for Level I and $35 for Level II.

"It is my belief that the increased fees are more equitable, for taxpayers and minimal-use leagues," wrote Mr. Cunha in the draft, "and will allow for more consistent and better field conditions."

Some Barrington youth sports league officials have opposed the fee increase, including Barrington Youth Soccer Association President Steve DeBoth.

"I really question the process here," said Mr. DeBoth, in a previous interview. "It's not like someone came to us and said, 'Let's talk about soccer. Tell me what your thoughts are…. let's work together on this.' Instead I feel like this was looked at as a line item. And they're treating the parents as piggy banks, to some extent, and it places a bounty on the heads of child athletes to solve some line item."

Possible solution?

In his candidate statement this week, Mr. Brier offered a possible solution to the alleged substandard condition of athletic fields in town — relocating all the fields to a central location.

"This would create a better sporting experience for families who currently have to zig-zag across town for practices and games at various locations. It would also open up portions of the former fields to modest redevelopment for seniors and others," he wrote. 

Level I and Level II

Level I fields are considered to be the better athletic fields in town: 

Barrington High School fields

Barrington Middle School fields

Chianese baseball and soccer fields

Haines Park baseball fields

Sherwood Park

Sowams School fenced field

St. Andrew's Farm Field 

Veteran's Park baseball field

The Level II fields:

The fields are the town's elementary schools

The fields behind the BHS tennis courts

Bicknell Park

The open fields at Chianese Park

Sowams Road field

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.