NBLL is On Board; Shared Fields Idea Still In Play
North Branford Little League (NBLL) is lending conditional support to Connecticut Sportsplex's offer to help the town upgrade some playing fields, in return for shared use. But exactly which fields would be fixed, and whether the town can afford its share, is still a big question.
On Sept. 21, the Parks and Recreation Commission took NBLL's conditional support under advisement, as part of the commission's charge from the Town Council to review a proposal it had received from Sportsplex.
With some outstanding x-factors still in play, including not knowing how much money the town may be able to earmark toward any upgrades, as well as exactly which fields would be involved in the final plan, the commission isn't expected to make a final recommendation soon.
As councilwoman and commission liaison Rose Angeloni noted on Sept. 21, the town may have a "slim hope" of receiving up to $290,000 from a pending Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant application originally written to support Memorial Park upgrades. If awarded, the money could instead help underwrite the town's share of Sportsplex-proposed field upgrade expenses. The STEAP grant decision is expected from the state in early November.
"I do have a slim hope we might get some money on that (and) until we're told we're not getting anything, I'm still holding out some hope that we do," said Angeloni. "If we do get any part of that grant, it could go up to $290,000; that is where the town could take money to put up for their side of the deal."
Currently, Sportsplex's proposal, forwarded by the Town Council to the commission for review, is a 50/50 share of expenses for a four-field fix. The town would underwrite 50 percent of a $300,000 upgrade to North Branford High School (NBHS) baseball field, a baseball and softball field at Totoket and a softball field at Memorial. The fixes include replacing infields with artificial turf infields (except NBHS, which would remain grass and clay); and creating baseball/softball multiuse fields at fields with newly-installed turf. The town would pay $150,000 of the $300,000 cost.
However, there are three additional fields which could benefit the town with a similar fix, including some needed by NBLL. To assist the town, Sportsplex has offered to get the town the same low industry pricing it receives. With that pricing, it would cost the town an estimated $200,000 for the three upgrades. Added to the $150,000 needed to meet the four-field shared cost offered by Sportsplex, the town would have to come up with $350,000 to upgrade all seven fields.
At the Sept. 21 commission meeting, NBLL president John Mascari asked to enter into the record a three-page document which included the statment, "For many years, NBLL has advocated for the improvement to the baseball and softball fields in town. Mr. Candelora has provided one possible solution that helps all the children of North Branford and fills a need for his growing business. We are in favor of improving the town fields through the public/private venture he has offered an understand as tax payers that our needs are not of the umtomost in these financially hard times."
That being said, NBLL board members also have some questions about the current proposal, together with a dozen or so "grave concerns," explained NBLL Secretary Bob Nowak.
One concern is Sportsplex seeking various weekend use of two fields critical to NBLL, Memorial and Totoket Valley.
"NBLL will be severely impacted, and potentially not able to make up games if canceled due to rain. There is a distinct possibility there may not be another option to play at another town field when this conflict occurs," the NBLL document noted.
Parks and Recreation Commission chairman Brian Lynch asked Nowak to verify NBLL was saying it had concerns but otherwise in favor of the proposal from Sportsplex, which Nowak confirmed.
Lynch also noted that, during a work group meeting two weeks earlier on the Sportsplex proposal, Candelora said he didn't want to be in charge of scheduling. Lynch also specified he understood that Sportsplex wanted to use those two fields on potentially six different occasions and would give playing times ahead of time if fields were needed. Candelora also attended the Sept. 21 meeting of the commission, saying he had no new input to share that night but was there to answer any questions if needed.
Angeloni also noted for the commission that she had also asked Candelora if there could be some flexibility in field use, such as potentially using a field other than the two Sportsplex would currently like to use during six weekends out of the season.
"He said that he would consider that," she said, adding that, while the commission mulls over the idea of whether to recommended shared use, "...we have time to explore all possibilities; and if we do get some money on the STEAP grant, we can sit back down at the table and see what would work."