by Cindy Bloom posted 11/18/2008 FYI to all involved with S.C. Norfolk Soccer, this is the letter that the sports organizations in town received from Recreation Department informing us that the “field user fee” will increase (more than double) from $8 to $20 per player-per sport-per season. This is important information for everyone that has kids in sports in town, no matter what the sport may be.
To all Sport Organizations:
On Monday, October 27, the Recreation Commission voted to increase field
user fees starting January, 2009 to $20 per participant per sport per
season. The purpose of this is to reach our goal of having healthy turf on
safe fields that can be used regularly and steadily by local sport
organizations. As stated at the last several field allocation meetings,
field fees were being reevaluated this fall since we knew we were falling
significantly below the dollar figure necessary to take care of the fields at
our goal level.
Currently, and for the past few years, we have collected around $18,000 per
year in field fees. To maintain our fields at an acceptable level, we need
to spend around $39,000 per year. This figure will provide funds for a
steady plan including seeding, aerating, fertilization, weed and pest
control, as well as the regular schedule of mowing and raking infields.
Additional field work we will address will include deep tine aeration,
topdressing areas, and repairing lips and dips and drainage as we go
along. Right now, we know there are several areas that need attention.
They won't all be fixed at once and some of the issues, such as drainage,
may still need additional dollars beyond field user fees.
Please know the decision to increase the fees was not one made without
extensive consideration. The decision was made to increase the fees so the
fees would cover the amount necessary to maintain the fields at a healthy and safer level. Dollars for
field maintenance, other than DPW labor, is not a budgeted item. Although
we have charged field fees for several years, these fees have only covered
the barest maintenance at best. Any additional items such as aeration, or
any significant field repair has had to come mostly from the Recreation Revolving
account. This account is an accumulation of revenues from our programs- again, no tax dollars.
With the economy waning we can reasonably expect a decrease in our programming revenues. More basically though, fields should not need to be subsidized on a regular basis with programming dollars. Programming dollars should go into programming and field dollars should go into fields.
We realize some of you may have questions regarding field maintenance and
we welcome these questions. You may email the Commission at
For reference, we thought it may be helpful for you to know the fees other area towns are charging. Every town runs parks/recreation/fields a little differently.
Here are a few examples:
Medfield has a $103,000 contract with a Landscaping firm that the town
budget pays for (that was this year's cost). In addition, they are
revisiting their fees and are expecting to charge about $40 per game to
each organization.
Wrentham had been charging $15 per player- their 2009 fee is $30 per
player.
Sudbury- $20 per player for Youth sports
Wayland - $40 per player
Thank you,
Ann Proto
Town of Norfolk
Recreation Director
