Taylor Litzenberg warms up before a game. The multi-use fields at Smith Lake Park show wear and tear. PETER CIHELKA/THE FREE LANCE-STAR
Date published: 7/10/2008
This is regarding the June 18 article titled "Parks and roads votes possible."
I wish to address just the fields issue. If all we're going to get for the "rectangular" fields are more grass fields, then Parks and Rec and the supervisors have missed the boat again.
What needs to be done is a reassessment of how we can put as many turf athletic fields as possible within the limits of the amount of funding that is currently being proposed for these fields.
Stafford County doesn't need more grass fields as it can't maintain the ones it has now.
What will happen is, within a year or two, the new fields will be in just as bad or in worse shape as our existing fields are in right now.
We need to take a page from what the folks in Fairfax have done and what the folks in Prince William County are doing.
Spending more money for more fields is not the answer. Spending money for an appropriate amount of turf fields is the answer; and if some of these fields have lights for use after dark, then the county can charge user fees to private organizations and recoup some of their initial outlays.
In the long run, with less maintenance and fewer user fees, the fields will pay for themselves and possibly generate more revenue to reinvest in building more turf fields or other parks and rec facilities.
Stafford is experiencing(posted by
MnA_Mom
, July 10, 2008 10:17 pm)
Enough budget problems that FIELDS are probably the last thing they'd thinking of spending money on, they serve the purpose just fine like they are and always have; the fields are maintained just fine!
Oh Come On(posted by
roadraid
, July 10, 2008 6:47 pm)
Why not? I mean, the Fire and Sheriff's departments can't afford to fuel their vehicles or pay their people what they're worth. But more soccer fields will fix that. The schools are SOL for this budget year, but we need to find more soccer money. And why bother keeping water and sewer systems up to date? We don't really need those frills. Soccer and baseball fields are what makes this county great!!!
Tell you what...(posted by
MisterBee
, July 10, 2008 12:58 pm)
Tell you what, Iric(?) - get together with some of your friends and have a fund raising effort for the fields YOU want. That way, YOU can pay for them and Stafford citizens wont be stuck paying for something they dont need or want.
G O A L !! Can't keep exisitng fields(posted by
DeanFetterolf
, July 10, 2008 8:33 am)
G O A L !! "Stafford County doesn't need more grass fields as it can't maintain the ones it has now" Ask the BOS what is the dramatic change in Parks & Rec that they think this can now happen. Better yet, what is the addtional maintenace cost per year ? Where do they plan to get the $ from - the school transfer? More shortsighted "planning".
