It is my understanding that Planning will not have a say on this matter. Not sure about the Village Board.

quote:

Originally posted by Mardie:

I can tell you that the soccer fields in Glen Ellyn are INCREDIBLY overcrowded.

...

Anyway, there is no question that Glen Ellyn needs additional soccer fields...and not just 1 or 2.

Thanks. I've heard similar things before, yet it always strikes me as odd because it is so contrary to my personal experience. Like I said, I ride my bike through Ackerman several times a year, and can't remember the last time I saw more than 10 people in the entire area.

I suspect that if I were to go to the park at certain times on weekends during certain parts of the spring and fall I would experience something different. It is unfortunate that the soccer organizations cannot figure out some way to schedule things to avoid the overcrowding.

The school fields also strike me as underused - including most weekends. As a taxpayer it wouldn't offend me to see more cooperation between the schools and the parks to have existing facilities used more efficiently.

But one can certainly question the "need" for constructing any particular public accommodation that is aimed at serving a limited clientele. I am not aware of any overarching law that requires that our park district provide soccer fields for each and every kid to participate in as many leagues as they wish. As one taxpayer, I'd prefer retaining trees, even just as something pleasant to view as I bike/drive past, instead of additional soccer fields that cost money to install and maintain.

Hell, last year I couldn't get a tee time I wanted at the Links. And at the busiest times on the nicest days all of the driving range tees were taken. There's no question they need to build another 18! Maybe they could turn Ackerman into a par-3 layout with a range...

I thought that overcrowding comment would make me laugh up a lung. Fortunately...that didn't happen. So many kids are playing soccer that we can't accommodate them at Ackerman? How about adding an hour to the schedule on Saturday. There. Just added 25% capacity.

One also has to wonder how we will accommodate all of our kids interested in playing indoor soccer once the super structure is built. Simply won't happen, IMO. I would recommend another referendum to double the size of the structure.

Now if they were adding lacrosse fields...

What cannot be accommodated right now are the travel leagues. Your little munchkins have a limited use of the fields for Park District Soccer. The travel teams are really short on practice and game facilities. I think this is where your "shortage" lies. Perhaps one might look to the fees charged to the Lakers and Raiders for use of facilities.

quote:

Originally posted by ronkas:
What cannot be accommodated right now are the travel leagues.

I'm assuming these are private clubs, no?
Hells yeah, I got a problem with public funds being spent cutting down public trees for the convenience of private organizations. Unless the PD is turning a tidy profit from the fees they charge, but somehow I doubt that is the case.

As few as 15 years ago, travel soccer really meant the cream o' the crop. Somebody must have figured out that the Lakers were making money and suddenly there were travel programs all over the place. Not sure if they all still exist any longer. Sort of takes away from the whole concept of putting your town's best on the field. Now it is...what do you want to pay, and where do you want to travel?

Everyone gets a trophy and snack...not to mention a juice box. It's the American way.

Also, why is there seemingly no cooperation between the park district and the schools with regard to soccer like there is in basketball? My son played PD BB at Churchill. Would it really be a stretch to have the kindergarten...first grade....or second grade soccer teams play in that massive field behind Churchill? Or at Newton? Or any of the other wide open fields in this town? Overcrowded because a town of 27,000 has sooooo many kids playing soccer that we need a bigger facility than Ackerman? I find this kinda funny.

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:

Also, why is there seemingly no cooperation between the park district and the schools with regard to soccer like there is in basketball?

IIRC, back in the 90s when the schools were expanded to provide capacity for more students than currently attend, some PD funds were used as well to provide for larger gyms with the understanding that PD programs could use them during non-school hours.

I'm no whiz at financial statements, but from what I see at the GEPD site, in 07 they received $80k in "rental income." I'm assuming that covers field and facility rentals, but I don't know. (I also assume the nearly $3mill in "charges for services" describes fees for PD programs and classes, but again, I don't know.) Near the end they also indicate that rental income has decreased over the past 3 years.

If $80K is all we get from private baseball, football, and soccer leagues - and anyone else who uses the boathouse or other facilities - I would seriously question the wisdom of spending $500k for whatever incremental increase in revenue it would bring. Of course, we could get another discount smokes shop at 5 corners out of the deal!

quote:

Originally posted by Lionheart:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Tony Rio:
There are no rich and powerful there. Primarialy just a few households with retired folks.


There are no rich people living on Lenox or Riford? Man, things have sure changed since I moved out here.

The people it will affect the most are on the dead-end block of Lenox. There are seven houses... 3 owned by the park district, 3 owned by older, long retired individuals, and one which has a child in middle school. It may not even affect any other homes.

The people it will affect the most are on the dead-end block of Lenox.
-
OK, Im a little far away to really size up the issue. Let me tell you how crazy the folks out here are. People will file suit to stop a company from building in an industrial area where there are no homes or apartments because they FEAR an increase in traffic by people going to and from work. Which street would see the biggest increase in traffic, Lenox or Riford? Put a Californian on that street and the Park District will find themselves in court before they can sharpen their axes.

quote:

Originally posted by Lionheart:
The people it will affect the most are on the dead-end block of Lenox.
-
OK, Im a little far away to really size up the issue. Let me tell you how crazy the folks out here are. People will file suit to stop a company from building in an industrial area where there are no homes or apartments because they FEAR an increase in traffic by people going to and from work. Which street would see the biggest increase in traffic, Lenox or Riford? Put a Californian on that street and the Park District will find themselves in court before they can sharpen their axes.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=931+Le...02,0.007231&t=h&z=17

The fields would be to the east of the 7 houses. At least, that's where they always talked about putting them. The retention pond mentioned is on the north of the houses, south of the existing fields.

This is not a Hijacking.
-
What's that at the end of Elm St. off Riford? Looks like a tennis court. Never knew that in my 20 years of living in GE.

40 Love

That's Ball Park...been there for a while, I think.

Tennis courts.. been there for at leat 25 years. Don't know if it still is, but it used to be some sort of private club or omething. Use to have a fence around it and you needed a key to get in.

quote:

Originally posted by Dinsdale:

quote:

Originally posted by ronkas:
What cannot be accommodated right now are the travel leagues.

I'm assuming these are private clubs, no?
Hells yeah, I got a problem with public funds being spent cutting down public trees for the convenience of private organizations. Unless the PD is turning a tidy profit from the fees they charge, but somehow I doubt that is the case.

I agree that the travel teams are creating the shortage. However, Lakers is a Park District program and, it is my understanding, that the Raiders (a private club) pays for the use of Park District fields. I don't know what the situation is with RMS (another travel club in the area). The Raiders do use school fields for their practices and PD fields as well school fields for their games. The governing Illinois state leagues (IWSL and NISL) schedule all travel games for Sundays. Games can be played on other days if they need to be rescheduled, but the leagues only allow 3 rescheduled games per season. There are also restrictions concerning field condition and size, which most school fields don't meet. I've seen a child break his ankle falling in a hole on one of the school fields in town during a game.

This is not just a problem in Glen Ellyn. The majority of clubs in the area have relationships with their Park Districts or communities for use of their fields; and virtually all of them have the same problem with field availability. With the growing popularity of soccer and influx of new travel clubs, it's becoming an issue in a lot of communities.

Two possible solutions: 1) travel clubs limit the number of teams (which they should, but won't as it hurts revenue) and 2) the Park District could play some of their house-league games during evenings through the week, freeing up time on Saturdays for travel games (which they won't do. This may not make much of a difference anyway given that the IWSL and NISL only allow a certain number of games to be rescheduled from Sunday)

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Rio:
Tennis courts.. been there for at leat 25 years. Don't know if it still is, but it used to be some sort of private club or omething. Use to have a fence around it and you needed a key to get in.

Owned by GEPD.

George Ball Park.

A couple more possible solutions:
3. The PDs significantly increase the rents they charge these clubs (which you acknowledge are interested in maximizing revenues themselves);
4. These private clubs and/or their overarching organizations purchase and maintain their own fields.

You say soccer is increasing in popularity. Well, I guess this isn't the place for me to get on my soapbox about the way I see child sports pursued these days...

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Rio:
Tennis courts.. been there for at leat 25 years. Don't know if it still is, but it used to be some sort of private club or omething. Use to have a fence around it and you needed a key to get in.

Are you confusing these with the clay courts at Lake Ellyn? Or were those courts really a pay-to-play situation at one time?

Yes, there was a tennis association that included the clay courts and George Ball park. Don't know what happened to it.

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Rio:
Tennis courts.. been there for at leat 25 years. Don't know if it still is, but it used to be some sort of private club or omething. Use to have a fence around it and you needed a key to get in.

Are you confusing these with the clay courts at Lake Ellyn? Or were those courts really a pay-to-play situation at one time?

Like Scott said. I dunno who it was who handled it, but I know you couldn't get on the courts without a key to open the gate in the 10' tall fence. I had a friend who lived on that north/south dead end street that they are at the end of, and I passed by there on my bike all the time to go to his house since there were no sidewalks at the time on St. Charles rd to get from our street to his.