Aug. 22 - 28, 2014
bringing the local news home to northwest Guilford County since 1996
SRA, town at impasse over athletic park usage fees Association has received discounted usage fees since 2012, and town says it is time to treat all organizations equally by PATTI STOKES
SRA president Rob Langston asked the council to lower SRA’s fees for using the athletic park. He said the association served about 1,500 children ages 5 to 18, of which 60 to 70 percent lived in Summerfield. Though construction of the athletic park had helped SRA’s programs expand, Langston said the association’s expenses had also increased. At that meeting, the town council voted to give SRA a reduced rate of $10/hour per field to use the athletic park, plus waive the $10/hour charge for light usage – for the spring 2012 softball/baseball season. Addition-
...continued on p. 9
File photos/NWO
SUMMERFIELD – Summerfield Recreation Association (SRA) and the Town of Summerfield have gone head to head over the last several months over how much SRA should pay to use Summerfield Athletic Park (SAP). Unless an agreement can be worked out between now and when the season starts in mid-
September, SRA says its participants will not be playing ball at the athletic park this fall. The 29-acre facility, located at 5200 U.S. 220, opened in September 2010. It has three baseball/ softball fields, a multipurpose field, restroom/concession building, a playground and paved parking. The town’s published rates for using the athletic park are: $15/hour per field for Summerfield residents, plus $10/hour for lights and $25/ hour per field for non-Summerfield residents, plus $10/hour for lights. At the February 2012 Summerfield Town Council meeting,
Summerfield Athletic Park on U.S. 220 was dedicated on Sept. 11 2010. The park, which has one multi-purpose field, three softball/baseball fields, a concession building, restroom facilities, playground and paved parking, is rented to non-profit organizations including Summerfield Recreation Association, as well as to for-profit organizations.
www.nwobserver.com
IN THIS ISSUE News in brief ...................................... 3 Your Questions................................... 4 Business Notes ................................. 10 Bits & Pieces ......................................11 Crime/Incident Report ....................14 Community Calendar .................... 15 Letters/Opinions ............................. 16 Grins & Gripes ...................................17 Classifieds .........................................19 Index of Advertisers ........................ 23
Students in the Guilford County Schools system return to the classroom on Monday, Aug. 25, so slow down and allow extra time for bus and school traffic.