Friday, June 22, 2012
Field Proposal To Be Presented on June 25
The Mt. Lebanon Commissioners previously requested that the youth sports groups develop a proposal/plan for adding synthetic turf to one of our existing field spaces. Since that time, members of the youth sports groups have met with representatives from various turf companies, lighting companies, field space consultants, the municipal staff and the Commissioners. The plan will be presented on Monday June 25 @ 6:15PM during the Commission Discussion Session in the Commission Chambers. Please come and listen to this exciting proposal.
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Hello,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your enthusiasm towards maintaining the townships resources. But I have to ask, how do you feel that it is right that the tax payers carry the burden of paying for synthetic turf? It sounds as if we can not even afford to upkeep the existing facilities. What kind of ROI will we see with synthetic turf? I am sure the initial investment is more than natural turf; is less expensive to maintain? Does it ever need replaced?
Can you sell me on why it is a good investment?
Thank you,
As I see it, once our community made the decision to invest heavily in recreation and recreational facilities it became the burden (your word) of tax payers to pay for them. One could ask the same question about the tennis center, the ice rink, the golf course, the pool, etc. No one can argue that any of these facilities are necessities. However, I would offer that many of us may not have chosen Mt. Lebanon or stayed in Mt. Lebanon without them.
ReplyDeleteParticipation in field sports is growing at new levels. Our children now flock to new sports (lacrosse, field hockey, etc) that did not exist when our existing field spaces were conceived in the last 25 to 50+ years ago. Most of our fields are baseball fields. We have very few full sized recreational fields (i.e. a football field), especially when you pull the school based fields out of the equation. As a result, these sports are forced to lease space in other communities and must defer the starting age for ttheir youth programs due to a lack of field space. In my opinion, I would prefer to see as many active and engaged youth in our community as possible. I think we would all agree that keeping our children active and healthy is a goal that we should all strive for and in turn will have it's own positive return on investment.
Turfing Middle and Wildcat would significantly increase the township's full sized field opportunities. This space is already used for a variety of activities like Rec soccer, little league baseball and softball. With the addition of turf and lights, this space could now host football, lacrosse, travel soccer, field hockey practices and games. Depending on the ages of the participants multiple games and practices can take place at one time.
Also, keep in mind that every hour spent on turf is one less hour spent on an already stressed grass field. All field experts
will tell you, the best way to maintain and sustain quality grass fields is to rest them, especially following inclement weather. Turf on Wildcat and Middle will provide us with that opportunity. Turf on Wildcat and Middle will improve the quality of our limited grass field space.
Can I give you a dollars and cents figure for ROI? Of course not. I similarly can't give you the ROI figures for our library or our significant public safety investment, but I do know they make our community a better place to live and raise a family.
I appreciate that some people will not agree with the plan to turf this field or perhaps any field. That's okay too. I am not suggesting that my position represents some magic elixir for Mt. Lebanon. However, my experiences tell me that this a community that puts a lot of emphasis on parks and recreation and their related programs. The decision to remain heavily invested in these assets was made long before the notion of turf ever came about. I simply see this technology as a method by which to (a) improve the existing facilities, (b) increase playing time on a daily and annual basis, (c) keep our children active, (d) keep our recreation and sports dollars in our community and (e) keep our community on the forefront in an area that is important to many of our current residents and potential residents. If someone can quantify that in dollars and cents, that's great. For me accomplishing those goal is return enough.
Mr Franklin,
ReplyDeleteCould you please add (f) the multiple medical bills that my parents had to pay for the 3 foot injuries that I suffered while running through the land mines and muck at Wildcat field.
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ReplyDeleteDavid,
ReplyDeleteHow dare you take your time to conduct research before you make your presentation! Don't you know that the same four people who complain at every commissioner's meeting have been waiting MONTHS for this opportunity to whine and pout some more.
I'm taking the high road. I see no benefit to lowering the discussion to a level that is unproductive.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to sit down with anyone who wants to understand more about the field issues, our constraints, our plan, etc.
As is evident from the detail contained in the proposal, we are not hiding anything. We showed the low costs and the high costs. We acknowledge that private contributions will be necessary and we acknowledge that we will have to raise our fees to cover this new expense. We acknowledge that turf fields have their critics and we are willing to address those issues, up front, honestly and in person.
We are a community of real people, with real names and real opinions. I understand the role that pen names and pseudonyms have played in shaping our country's history and their role in free speech, believe me I do. But please forgive me if I also believe that they really have no role in debating whether or not to improve a field.
Frankly, the harsh words don't upset me. However, I do think they tarnish our community. Whether you agree with me or not, there should be a tone of conversation expected among rational adults, especially if your goal is to convince other people. I venture that the large majority of folks who have bashed me or the YSA today would never take the same approach in a truly public forum. Ironically, I'm okay with that because, in the end, I think it is hard to win any debate when you don't even step up to the podium.
Dave Franklin
The pool and rec center need attention much more than these fields. Walk down Washington and see the deteriorating state of our town. Look at the water leaks and peeling paint in the Commission Chambers. What difference would holding the turf plan for a year and correcting some of our other municipal facilities before embarking on this plan? I'm not one of the ordinarily negative crowd. I support the school and the higher taxes that go with it. I have kids in schools and sports, but just as I have had to manage a household budget, so should the Municipality. The idea that we have money, we have to spend it is strikingly similar to lottery winners who blow through their windfall in short order.
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:05, I think we need to maintain all of community's Infrastructure, assets and facilities. This includes streets, municipal buildings, and recreational spaces. As some would argue that spending money on fields is fiscally irresponsible, I would offer that it is also fiscally irresponsible to do nothing and allow those facilities to fall deeper into disrepair. I also support repairs to the pool and the ice rink, and was disappointed when the Miller plan did not receive the necessary votes last year. Had that passed we would be well on our way to fixing the pool and solving the field issue.
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't support run away spending, I also think that some reasonable level of debt is okay for a municipality like ours. Especially if it allows us to improve our facilities, and particularly now when the cost of money is so cheap. As one
resident suggested last night, if we are truly serious about any of the proposed capital projects, we would be wise to do
them now while rates are so low. It would be unfortunate if we put off certain efforts only to have them become real
necessities and then be faced with significantly higher interest rates.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here and please stay involved in the process.
Dave Franklin
Can you please post the presentation on the website?
ReplyDeleteI would like to look more closely at this proposal.
Thank you.
Jay Neff