by
posted 05/02/2008
NOTE: The following message is a bit long, but is VERY important. The message solicits your support of several articles that will be presented at Town Meeting that, if passed, will help lead to new fields for youth sports programs in general and Hopkinton Youth Soccer in particular. It is important to note that this year’s proposal does NOT result in tax increases to the town.
Please take the time to review the information below prior to Town Meeting on May 5th and follow the guidance outlined in the “What can I do to help?” section. Thank you.
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Dear Parents –
The past two months have been a very busy time for our program. In addition to the normal preparation that went in to successfully kicking off our spring season, Hopkinton Youth Soccer has been actively working to improve the experience of both our players and parents through several new and important projects.
Some of these improvements have been more visible than others – visitors to the Emerald Hills fields have hopefully seen the value of the fencing that we recently installed, and this weekend, more than 100 preschool-age children will take the field as part of our inaugural “Kick Start” program. Both of these programs were originally suggested by parents just like you, but neither addresses the one area of greatest need for our program: access to more, higher-quality fields.
Why do we need fields?
The need for better fields in Hopkinton is well established. Our children frequently play on open space that has equal parts dirt, grass, and weeds, and oftentimes gravel and mulch, leading to higher risk of injury. One of our players recently broke her arm when she fell on an uneven part of a field during practice. Additionally, we simply do not have enough field space to support the needs of our program, as evidenced by the fact that we are sometimes unable to host games home games for our teen players due to a lack of enough large fields in the town. Many of you also recognize this need as “improving the quality and quantity of fields” was voted the most important goal for our program (by a 2:1 ratio over any other objective) in last fall’s parent survey.
What is being presented at Town Meeting?
Over the past few months, a core group of volunteers has been working with Hopkinton’s Parks and Recreation Committee, Community Preservation Committee (CPC), and others within Town Hall to reach agreement on a realistic field development strategy for the Fruit Street property. Thanks in large part to these efforts and the cooperation, patience, and compromise shown by all involved, the chance to develop fields at Fruit Street has once again become very real.
At Town Meeting next week, Hopkinton residents will vote on two articles – Town Warrant Article #39 (allocation of funding) and Special Town Warrant Article #3 (approval to negotiate a lease) – that will create incentives for development of athletic fields at Fruit Street.
As was the case in prior years, we are asking for you to attend Town Meeting and express your support for these articles given that they are likely to provide the most direct path toward a long-term, sustainable field strategy at Fruit Street.
Why is this year different than prior years?
Long tenured parents in our program will recall that the town previously purchased land at Fruit Street with the intent of building active recreation fields (among other things) on the site. The funding needed to develop fields at Fruit Street has been presented and passed at Town Meeting in prior years, only to have those measures fail at the general election.
This may have some of you wondering what is different about this year’s proposal. The short answer is … Everything.
Unlike prior years, where residents were asked to cover the expense associated with field development, this year’s proposal creates incentives for a public-private partnership to develop fields. This cooperation will both reduce the overall cost of the project to the town and distribute the cost to those residents who stand to benefit the most from the proposed fields. As a result, there will be NO impact on property taxes to residents in town.
Additionally, the provisions for funding will only need to pass Town Meeting and will NOT be sent to the ballot on May 18 if they pass. Stated more simply, if both articles pass next week, we will be able to formally begin planning for the development of fields at Fruit Street in hopes of having at least one field online by the Fall 2009 season.
How will the fields be funded?
The project will be jointly funded through a $1 million grant from the CPC and a minimum $500,000 commitment from Hopkinton Youth Soccer (alone or in conjunction with other parties or youth sports organizations).
Obviously, this will represent a significant investment for HYSA. Raising enough money to cover our anticipated commitment will require a carefully crafted financing strategy that may include some combination of existing capital, individual / corporate fundraising, field rental income, player registration fee increases, and traditional financing (e.g., loans). Registration fee increases will be set aside specifically for field development.
What will HYSA get in exchange for its commitment?
Although a formal use agreement is still being negotiated with Parks and Recreation, it is our expectation that HYSA’s investment will provide access to high-quality fields at peak times (i.e., practices and games) during our spring and fall seasons. We also expect that our commitment will be prorated across a to-be-determined period of time such that our ultimate cost per hour is reasonable and no worse that that being charged other users of the fields.
Will other youth sports programs have access to the fields?
Our current negotiations with Hopkinton Parks and Recreation include provisions that give other in-town youth, school, and adult athletic programs access to the fields. As noted above, these programs will be asked to pay user fees (pro-rated or otherwise) that are no less than the pro-rated hourly cost that HYSA will be paying.
What type of fields will be developed?
It is our sincere hope and preference that this arrangement will lead to the development of synthetic fields similar to those in neighboring towns (i.e., Marshall Street in Holliston, The 9-11 Field in Southborogh, etc.). However, it is important to understand that a final design for the complex has NOT been finalized at this point given that it does not make sense to create the design until the proposed articles pass Town Meeting. Once more information regarding the final design is known, it will be shared publicly with the community for review and feedback.
Do other options for field development exist?
Perhaps. Our board has reviewed the proposed rezoning plan for Legacy Farms and we see great potential for field development at Legacy Farms should the Host Community Agreement / rezoning plan be approved at Town Meeting. What is uncertain to us is whether similar opportunities will exist if the rezoning plan is not approved. We encourage you to consider this benefit when evaluating your support of the Legacy Farms proposal (article #27), which will likely be presented at the beginning of Tuesday’s session.
What can I do to Help?
The answer to this question is simple: We need all of our parents to attend Town Meeting and vote in favor of Town Warrant Article #39 and Special Town Meeting Article #3. As a reminder, all registered voters can attend Town Meeting. Baby-sitting will be available (see below).
As previously noted, Special Town Meeting Article #3 will be discussed promptly at the start of Tuesday’s session (7 p.m. sharp!). The discussion related to Legacy Farms is also scheduled for that evening, so we encourage you to stay for that decision as well.
The timing of article #39 will be somewhat dependent on how long the discussion related to Legacy continues, but it seems reasonable to assume that it will either be addressed late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Both articles are equally important so please make every effort to be present for the voting of both articles. Simply put, if only one of the two articles passes, it may not be possible to move forward with the project.
Will childcare be available again this year during Town Meeting?
Yes. HYSA is partnering with the HPTA to provide childcare during Town Meeting. Please contact Jean Bertschmann at
to sign up.
Is there anything else I should know?
Please look for and read additional communications on this topic over the next few days and help raise support for these articles with neighbors and friends.
Unfortunately, I have a long-standing commitment that will prevent me from attending Town Meeting next week, but many other board members plan to be in attendance and Arnon Friedmann (In-town Director) and John Giordano (Director of Player and Coach Development) have graciously agreed to represent HYSA during the presentation of the articles.
In the meanwhile, I welcome any questions, comments, or concern you might have. Please send them to me at
.
Thank you in advance for your support of this important initiative.
Regards,
Brian O’Keefe
President – Hopkinton Youth Soccer | 
