The Shelton Parks and Recreation Commission recently adopted a set of regulations establishing fees for teams using city athletic fields.
Under the new rules, which take effect Sept. 1, organized groups and teams that are not sponsored by the commission must pay $50 each time they use a field for a practice or game. Teams or groups that are not based in Shelton or that collect fees from participants or spectators must pay $100 per use.
An open question is which rate should apply to teams that were established in other towns but have members from Shelton.
Informal groups or teams will not be charged and commission members left open the possibility of granting exceptions for fundraising events. Parties taking advantage of Shelton’s fields must also obtain certificates of insurance and are responsible for cleaning up after using the fields.
According to Ronald Herrick Jr., the city’s parks and recreation director, approximately 12 to 14 teams will be affected throughout the year. That includes football, baseball, soccer, cricket, Little League, and lacrosse, and all age groups, from eight years through college.
The most immediately affected will probably be baseball and soccer, but the number of teams participating in each sport varies from year to year, so that may change.
“We think starting it on Sept. 1 will work pretty well because we have fall baseball,” Herrick said.
Herrick pointed out that teams sponsored by the city will not be forced to pay the new fees. “
This does not affect groups involved with Shelton Parks and Rec,” Herrick
said. There will be “no change to any of that.”
The Shelton Parks and Recreation Commission currently sponsors all youth sports, so they would not be charged.
“Shelton has a quite extensive sports program for children,” Herrick added.
Rather, Herrick said the changed policy “will affect other groups that have nothing to do with the city of Shelton.” It will only affect “outside, non-affiliated groups.”
In the past, “We never got a nickel” from out-of-town teams, Herrick said. “Is it our job to let Fairfield, Yale, and the Coast Guard use our fields?” he asked.
As for the definition of a “Shelton-based” team, “It’s a gray area,” Herrick said. A group with its headquarters in Shelton or a city post office box would be
considered “based in Shelton,” regardless of where its players live.
Herrick pointed out that Shelton is not alone in wanting to charge fees for the use of their athletic fields.
“Certain groups have been paying elsewhere. Some neighboring
towns charge fees for use of their fields,” he said. For example, Derby asks for a donation and Monroe has fees higher than those Shelton is adopting.
However, Turner Construction, a Milford company that held a softball tournament in Shelton last year, might consider looking elsewhere for a place to hold their event in
the future.
Tom McCarthy, one of the people who organizes the tournaments, said, “I think $100 is enough that we’ll consider going somewhere else. There are fields in Milford, but we liked the fields in Shelton. It’s something we’d definitely consider.”
It is unclear whether the new fees will affect Turner Construction this year. The company has a tournament scheduled for late August, but its rain date is in September,
McCarthy said.
Herrick pointed out, however, that, “groups always have the right to approach the commission for a waiver or clarification” on the fee issue.
