https://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Bethel-residents-call-for-turf-on-DeSantis-Field-12771170.php
Bethel residents call for turf on DeSantis Field
Published 3:59 pm, Wednesday, March 21, 2018
BETHEL -- A large crowd turned a budget public hearing into a rally Tuesday night, demanding that a turf field at the high school be added to next year’s capital budget.
At least 100 parents, coaches and students showed support for the project at the high school’s DeSantis Field, many wearing #TurfDeSantis T-shirts. The project would be an addition to the proposed $75.2 million operating budget and $1.4 million capital budget for 2018-19.
The $964,000 project to lay turf and resurface the track had been postponed last year because of expected cuts in state aid to local schools, and the Board of Selectmen voted last month to defer the project again next year.
But many residents argued that would be a mistake.
Greg Correard, president of the Bethel All Sports Booster Club, collected hundreds of signatures in favor of bringing turf to Bethel, the only town in the area without such a field. He said the bid for the project came in under budget, and that delaying it further would likely increase the cost.
“This project and this investment to complete this facility for Bethel, that the community can use for any type of event, will benefit every household in Bethel,” Correard said to a thunderous applause and cheers.
Bethel is the only town in the South West Conference without access to a turf field, he said, but both the SWC and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference require that playoff games for lacrosse, field hockey and soccer be played on turf.
Other supporters argued that a turf field could be used for team sports, students in gym classes and other community members for events, some of which would bring in revenue. They also noted that the lack of turf also forces cancellation of practices because of weather more often than other schools.
Christiana Ruiz, a senior on the girl’s lacrosse team, estimated she had lost a season’s worth of practice over her four years in high school.
“[This] puts us at a huge disadvantage when we’re trying to compete with other schools in the state,” she said. “If you look at how many kids get recruited to a (Division 1) sport, how many kids play a sport in college, having a turf field would definitely benefit them.”
“It’s 2018, smartphones are everywhere, but we’re living in a society in Bethel with a flip phone,” said Janet Mossop, a mother of three athletes. “We’ve got to step it up.”
But Cynthia McCorkindale, a member of Board of Finance, said many residents could not afford the tax increase that would be needed to pay for the field.
“I hear no compassion whatsoever for the people of Bethel who are struggling to pay for their taxes,” she said.
Others also doubted that a field would be a boon for everyone.
“I don’t see a benefit to my household of a turf field in any way, shape or form,” resident Bill Hillman said.
The proposed budget is a 3.2 percent increase from this year’s budget, and would raise taxes by about 5 percent. This is a $65 increase for the average home.
The budget increase has been attributed to a rise in employment benefits and transportation costs, as well as additional funding for road repair, a police officer and the Senior Center.
The town also aims to pay for more projects through its operating budget, rather than its capital budget, a move that Board of Finance Chairman Bob Manfreda said will save the town money in the long run.
“Taking this fiscally responsible approach to make sure our town has the budget to be safe and prosperous, while at the same time implementing a strategy to pay off our short term debt, will drive a very small increase in the mill rate and therefore a very small per taxpayer tax increase,” he said.
