Sports

Council Decision Not to Restore Funding Could Leave Skate Park in Jeopardy

YMCA Director John Myers said the fate of the skate park is unknown without mutual support from the town for operating costs.

The future of the YMCA Camp Sloper Skate Park may be in jeopardy after an effort by council members to restore $11,000 in partnership funding to operate it fell one vote short Monday evening.

Without the town's help in a partnership that had been in place since 1998 when the YMCA received a grant to develop the state-of-the-art park, YMCA Director John Myers said, the organization may not be able to keep it open for public use.

“We’ve never had a problem before,” Myers said. “For now, the skate park is closed and we don’t know what the future will hold. We will be talking internally over the next several weeks to see what, if anything, we can do.”

The Town Council voted 5-4 to restore funding for the park Monday night as part of its budget discussions, but with the town charter requiring at least six votes to allow funding to be restored, the motion was rejected. Republicans Al Natelli Jr. and Council Chairman Edward Pocock III voted in favor of restoring funding alongside Democrats John Barry, Dawn Miceli and Chris Palmieri.

The vote was “disheartening” said both Myers and YMCA Camp Sloper Director Mark Pooler, and sends a message regarding how council members will represent children and families in the community.

Pooler said the partnership was designed to save the town money and removing funding will leave children who prefer skating to other sports without a place to enjoy their recreational interest.

“Every other town surrounding us has figured out there is a need for this type of recreational facility – New Britain, Plainville, Meriden all have skate parks that are entirely funded by the public,” Pooler said. “There is a population this serves, just like basketball courts and tennis court serve segments of the population. In they are not allowed to skate there, where are they supposed to skate?”

The park currently serves about 180 kids per year, including 125 who are not members of the YMCA. Pooler said 95 percent of the children are Southington residents and the remaining 5 percent are Y members from Cheshire.

The park had been open for use Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays – it was open only after camp use during the summer for security reasons – and the $11,000 represents about half the cost for operations and upkeep including maintenance to prevent cracking on the old tennis courts the park was built on, Myers and Pooler each said.

Funding for the park has come under scrutiny during recent years and in 2010, Board of Finance members removed it from the proposed budget after members said they did not have information to show the need supported the costs.

Council members restored the funding then, but could not gain the support to restore funding a second year in a row.

During the council’s public hearing on the budget in April, local residents including Art Cyr, Sandra Feld and Larry DePaolo questioned how the deal could be conceived on a handshake.

Members of the Board of Finance, including Chairman John Leary, also said while they support the YMCA and its activities, the town should not set any precedents in providing public funding to a private entity.

“I had the pleasure of meeting with John (Myers) and it’s not fair to question the integrity of the YMCA. They have been open throughout the entire process and there is extensive involvement and partnership between the YMCA and town,” said Councilman Anthony D’Angelo, who voted against restoring the funding.

“I was also present during the Board of Finance workshop and it was equally compelling. To put money towards private organizations for any reason is a concern and all six voted in favor of not putting money,” he said.

Myers said this “was not a handshake deal”  and that funding has never been an issue before. He said it’s also important for town officials to recognize the other partnerships in place and the other work the YMCA has done.

In 2010, Myers said, the YMCA received a total of $45,000 in revenue for use of the skate park, the “Eight Weeks to a Better You” program, Board of Education pool rentals, Board of Education special needs programs at Camp Sloper and school group visits to the camp.

By comparison, the YMCA spent $80,000 during that time for school rentals for child care, health inspections for school sites, police for the Tw-Y-Light teen program and Camp Sloper building permits. The YMCA also participates in a variety of other programs, including volunteering in the STEPS program, Healthy Family Fun Fest and Activate Southington, among others.

“I just hope this decision doesn’t affect our relationship with the town moving forward,” Myers said.

The money could still be restored using appropriation funding effective July 1, Romano noted in explaining his support for the program but his vote against it Monday. Funding would need to be restored by the Board of Finance.


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