Date: Fri 23-Apr-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Parks-Rec-fields

Full Text:

Shortage Has Sports Vying For Fields

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Newtown's shortage of fields has reached the point where it has has brought

new meaning to "sports competition" in town. Different sports organizations

are now vying with each other for field time.

That was apparent at Wednesday's meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission.

Newtown Lacrosse president Ken Law believes there is an imbalance in the use

of fields and suggested that each sport have one traditional season during

which it has priority over fields. In short, lacrosse supporters said, soccer

is a fall sport, and it might serve the town well if soccer were to take a

back seat in the spring.

This would give fair access to quality fields for everyone, Mr Law said.

"The fields in Newtown are now being horrifically overused. There needs to be

a prioritization process," Mr Law said. "It's an issue that is begging for a

solution until more fields can be built."

More than 1,200 Newtown kids take part in soccer which is played on local

fields in the spring, summer, and fall. Fields have become overcrowded with

practices and games bumping up against one another.

Those who attended Wednesday's meeting were careful not to step on any toes.

"It's not a lacrosse versus soccer thing. It's a lack of fields and how are we

going to solve this problem," said Tom Lynch.

Already short on fields, the town lost the use of the Dupont field this year

after vandals drove a car across it this past winter. That put a crunch on the

soccer programs, which in turn put a crunch on lacrosse and its 135

participants.

Former Newtown Soccer president Pat Barczak argued that soccer has always been

a multi-season sport and to turn kids away would not be right. He also

disagreed with a suggestion that the minimum age for participation in soccer

be raised to open up fields.

Lacrosse supporters also complained about the poor condition of the field

along Oakview Road, which is used for both soccer and lacrosse. They claim it

has become a safety issue. They complained that the field at Treadwell Park is

not used enough and questioned whether or not it was practical to preserve it

simply as a "premier" soccer field.

"We pay taxes, too," said John Narcum, who's high school son recently injured

his ankle on the bumpy Oakview field.

"We're not trying to save Treadwell for a particular sport. We're trying to

save Treadwell," said Parks and Recreation Commission chairman Larry Haskell

said.

The shortage of fields has become severe, and, according to Mr Haskell, it

will get to the point where kids will have to be turned away. That will create

a lot of unhappy people.

Mr Haskell said his "brick wall" is having to deal with a town that has much

more on its plate other than fields. You have to make a great deal of noise,

he said, especially when it comes to the annual budget. Next year's request

will include funding for the development of the Amaral property along Elm

Drive. The Parks & Recreation fought hard to get that land two years ago, but

it now needs a lot of money to take the next step. The commission only hopes

the town's views have changed.

"Historically, this town has not spent a dime on fields," noted Commission

member William Cavanaugh.

It might want to think about doing so before an all-out war breaks out between

sports.

Amaral Property

The long, narrow field along Elm Drive and adjacent to Dickinson Park was a

key acquisition by the Parks & Recreation Commission two years ago. The

13-acre parcel was purchased from the Amaral family for $400,000 using the

remaining Iroquois Land Preservation and Enhancement Program (LPEP) money.

There may be enough room there for two soccer/lacrosse fields there, according

to Parks and Rec Director Barbara Kasbarian. It costs about $100,000 to build

a new ballfield, Mr Haskell told the Board of Selectmen last year.

The Parks and Rec Department is expected to send out requests for proposals to

engineers/landscape architects next week. The first step is to conduct a

feasibility study of the land. From there, plans need to be drawn up and

eventually, the commission will ask the Legislative Council for funding.

"If we get the study done within the next few months, we would probably put

money into the following budget (2000-2001)," Mr Kasbarian said.

Mrs Kasbarian said the town's greatest immediate need is for soccer/lacrosse

fields, but it all depends on what type of field the experts feel the property

will best handle.

"Ideally, it would be two of same types of fields for maintenance purposes,"

Mrs Kasbarian said.

The former Amaral property extends in a triangular shape in a northerly

direction from Dickinson Park to the point where Elm Drive and Deep Brook Road

intersect at the Village Cemetery. The lot lies just north of the Dickinson

Park tennis courts.

Currently, there are 25 ballfields in Newtown that are available to the town.

However, most of the fields are on school property, often causing scheduling

problems.

P&R Maintenance Director Ron Moffat heads a team of five men who dedicate

their time to keeping Newtown's fields in usable condition.