Here’s a quiz: Who gets charged more to rent per hour, a family using a lane of candlepin bowling at Needham Bowlaway or a non-Newton for-profit soccer camp using a full-sized soccer field owned by the City of Newton? Answer: A lane of candlepin bowling is $30 per hour. A full-sized soccer field goes for $25 per hour.
Look, I don’t begrudge a soccer camp charging several dozen players $210 each for 3.5 hours per day, or $275 each for 5 hours per day, for four days. That’s what we had on Weeks Field last week. If that’s what parents are willing to pay, so be it.
But I am offended that non-Newton for-profit organizations like these can get access to grass fields in Newton at such a low rate. (Non-Newton nonprofits are charged $20 per hour.)
Everyone acknowledges that Newton’s playing fields have been subject to deterioration because of a lack of funding from the city. When this is brought up to the city administration, they claim they are doing the best they can, given other financial priorities. Some of us have contributed personal funds to help with this problem. Newton Girls Soccer and Newton Youth Soccer have ponied up $70,000 in 2020 to help with field maintenance and upgrades. My own group of adult players has contributed over $4000 this year, voluntarily, in addition to the permit fee we pay.
What is keeping the fees so low for non-Newton businesses? “It’s always been that way,” seems to be the answer.
Just because it’s always been that way doesn’t mean it should continue being done that way. We are leaving thousands of dollars in the coffers of businesses that do not contribute to the upkeep of the fields they use to make a profit. Charging them a fair price is more than reasonable given our circumstances–and theirs. I don’t know if this change requires a vote of the City Council or whether the Mayor has the discretion to do it alone, but there is no reason to delay.
If a for-profit business is using city property, it should have to pay enough to cover the costs of the wear-and-tear. I don’t see why we should be subsidizing businesses that are using city resources.
If the same land were privately owned, the property tax burden alone would be ~$100/day. Plus maintenance, plus administrative costs.
I could easily argue that the City receives some social benefits from having such a camp run, even by a for-profit operator…but $25 a day doesn’t feel close to replacement cost.
Thanks for raising this Paul! Do you have specific names of these businesses and rates they are paying? Is it just one soccer camp or across all sports?
If the goal is for the City’s residents and taxpayers to take actions, facts and details would be helpful.
Matt, It’s the fee established by the city for all fields. Here: http://www.newtonma.gov/civicax/filebank/documents/77372
The most recent companies using Weeks Field last week were Surf Soccer (Mon/Tues, 9-4) and Prep Soccer (Monday 5-8). They paid $25 per hour.
…most concerning is the “always done that way” mentality. We need long time department administrators to start thinking bigger & bolder. It would be very easy to see what competitive rates are in nearby towns & follow suit. Now more than ever there is a need for increased revenue sources in our community & more opportunities for outdoor sports & recreation. Thanks for raising this issue, perhaps it will get some attention in Dept of Parks, Rec & Culture.
I would agree with Paul’s general line of thinking.
I would also add a caveat that any changes right now should be made cautiously and gradually. Both for-profit and non-profit camps are likely in financially perilous shape due to the pandemic (as are a good portion of their parents). Both offer parents and young people an opportunity to have a piece of normal-ish life, if only for a few hours a day. Both have budgeted costs and are trying to hold onto skill staff. Sudden or unexpected changes to the fee structure could potentially be existential.
In general, though, Newton needs a huge dose of thinking more boldly and more broadly. It seems that we have some of the world’s greatest expertise in predicting ahead of time why new ideas won’t work. We don’t experiment, so we don’t fail (in a narrow definition of the word). But we also don’t learn and innovate anywhere near as much as we could.
Over time, it has locked us into a mindset of what is, not what could be.
For those interested, here is a benchmark report comparing Newton to surrounding cities and towns.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ahKS8ipHNfgzA8lu4D6JiRcZC9CN-l6s/view?usp=sharing
You will easily see that we charge less for most rentals and we also do not charge youth sports. At the same time, we do not properly fund field maintenance and we continue to rent fields to for profit companies such as Boston Ski and Sports. Yes, there are people from Newton who play in these programs, but Newton is not in the position to continue to subsidize these companies when we cannot even afford to maintain our fields. This is no different than driving your car for months after it was due to get an oil change. If you don’t do that then why rent a field that cannot take any more wear-and-tear? It’s probably no surprise that private schools “get it” and charge the most for field use. The supply in this area is so limited that demand is still greater than supply for quality synthetic turf fields.
Athletic Field represents a multi-million dollar asset for the city and yet they are under maintained and under managed.
*** Let’s at least agree to look at the challenges we have and identify what needs to be changed. ***
There is little “new information” on this topic. The City’s leadership has taken the approach to “watch from the sideline” for years now. Field conditions remain poor and investment is non-existent. The only project since 2003 was the Highlands Playground. A great park for sure but it’s sad to see a City of 90,000 with millions of dollars in available funding through it’s large CPA coffer turn a blind eye time and again to the thousands of athletes in out city when our facilities are lagging.
For those interested, here are the benchmarks for fees.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ahKS8ipHNfgzA8lu4D6JiRcZC9CN-l6s/view?usp=sharing
For the love of sports, fix Newton’s fields!
Newton should periodically re-visit the pricing for field rentals. That said I have to agree with Justin our fields are in bad shape. I have sports playing kids and our fields are poor in comparison to the other towns I visit. Many towns have multiple turf field complexes and/or nice grass fields. I would think it would be tough to command top dollar at some of our fields. As far as the soccer camps many are run by coaches to help supplement their income. I don’t think some of them are big money makers. Prep is run by Newton North Coach Row Dow and Brookline High Coach Kyle Beaulieu-Jones. One is a teacher by profession and I believe the other may work in the field as well.