Thursday, January 11, 2001 Older Editions

Soccer group offers half-million for fields

By Rebecca Piro

This April, Town Meeting will decide again whether to build three playing fields in Recreation Park. The proposal has failed twice before, in 1995 and 2000 - but this time, some residents and town officials are hoping that a gift of $500,000 will make the deal too sweet to pass up.

The Andover Soccer Association has offered to donate $500,000 over the course of 10 years for the construction of three multi-purpose playing fields at Rec Park, says Paul Conway, former association president. That would nearly cut in half the estimated cost of $1.1 million to build those fields and other general improvements.

"There are a tremendous lot of kids that want to use the (potential) fields, and the only way to get these things is to make the sacrifices," Conway says. "We have room in our budget that we can make a contribution to the cost initially, and then by minor increased fees we can fund a contribution over the next 10 years. We'll put $50,000 down now and then again for the next 10 years."

Plant and Facilities Director Joe Piantedosi saw a Rec Park proposal fail last year, but he hopes that town officials, the Finance Committee and residents will be encouraged by the soccer association's offer. "It might be a much more attractive project to the Finance Committee and to residents if a private group is willing to pay a substantial portion of it," he says.

Not only would the donation help build three new fields at Rec Park, but it would benefit all the fields in town, which are utilized to their potential all season long, Conway says.

"It helps all the fields by spreading the usage across the fields in town. Some fields are never rested, and if you don't rest the fields, they are just destroyed. (You need) to let them lie fallow."

While three new fields won't eliminate the town's shortage of playing space, it is certainly a place to start, says Conrad. Plus, the fields will benefit more than just the players who will use them.

"This would improve the quality of the (whole town). It's easily accessible, (centrally located), and the natural resources are there, so why not use it? It's just lying there vacant."

But it's not simply a question of whether fields are needed, says Joanne Marden, chairwoman of the Finance Committee. The committee did not support the proposal at last year's Town Meeting because the town was, and still is, deeply submerged in multiple capital construction projects costing more than $70 million - the new schools, the safety center and the sewer project.

Although the sewer project will be paid only by sewer users, through betterments and sewer bills, the safety center and schools will be paid by all homeowners.

"When we look at those things that we've already committed to, there's not much room in (the budget) for lots of additional things," Marden says.

More importantly, the town needs to consider the operating costs for these projects down the road, which could come back to haunt residents if they don't remember those costs when considering additional projects.

Neither the soccer association nor the town has brought the $500,000 donation to the Finance Committee's attention yet, says Marden. The committee would have to spend some serious time thinking about it before Town Meeting in April, and the idea of a donation does not immediately sway her.

"Our concern is still going to be how this fits in the total picture of the finances of the town," Marden says. "Our looks at revenue projections still say that we're going to have to be very careful about our spending. It's not whether... fields are important, but how we're going to finance this."