Play Ball! BOE Permits High School Turf Field Rental

The Middletown school board unanimously approved a policy change Monday that will permit youth organizations to practice and play on the artificial turf fields at Middletown High School South and Middletown High School North. 

The announcement was met with loud applause from more than a dozen volunteer coaches and parents representing Middletown Soccer Club Earlier in the evening, Club President Joseph Borrino had presented the board with an electronic petition signed by 646 people in just three days. He implored the board to share the taxpayer-subsidized fields with the community. "Please put Middletown on the level with other towns," he said. 

"This change in policy allows us to open up the turf fields for usage," said Christopher Aveta of the BOE's Facilities Commiteee, referring to Policy 7510. 

A resolution of the board and the township's governing body to establish a shared services program to maintain and upgrade the fields for 2013 was approved.  (The resolution is printed below.)

Aveta said that permits will be issued by the Board of Education, not the Township Committee. He also said the proposed fee structure Class 2 users will pay $200 on weekdays, $250 on weekends per two-hour time block on the turf fields, and Class III users will pay $400 on weekdays and $500 on weekends per two-hour time block. There will be additional charges for lighting, press box and additional custodial overtime.

Board member Vinnie Brand, who was involved in bringing the agreement forward, said "I want to reiterate, stay active. This is a resolution. Contract has to follow, construction has to follow. Your participation in the meeting will make your wish come true. Don't let it die on the vine."

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Approval of the Resolution of the Township Committee and the Middletown Board ofEducation Establishing Cooperative Sports and Athletic Field Maintenance Sharing Arrangement:

WHEREAS, the Middletown Township Committee and the Middletown Township Board of Education believe that it is important to the long-term health, safety and welfare of the Township youth and adult sports participants to have and to maintain well-conditioned and well-maintained facilities, which will also add to the overall quality of life for Township residents; and

WHEREAS, it is the goal of the Middletown Township Committee and the Middletown Township Board of Education, to establish a program to systematically upgrade, modify and improve all sports and athletic facilities in theTownship of Middletown; and

WHEREAS, it is also the intention of the Middletown Township Committee and the Middletown Township Board of Education to then continue to maintain and keep up the quality of these facilities; and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Middletown Township Committee and the Middletown Township Board of Education (the parties) agree to cooperatively participate in and pursue the continued shared services in the operation, maintenance, permitting and scheduling of all indoor and outdoor sports and athletic facilities in the Township of Middletown, except as specified and modified herein.

1. The parties will establish and maintain a master list of sports field maintenance, field upgrades, field relocation and field reconstruction, as well as short and long-term scheduling priorities based upon a combination of factors, including needs, season, conditions, location, and costs.

2. The parties will establish a new fee schedule for all public indoor and outdoor Sports/Athletic facilities in the Township of Middletown. The fee collected shall be maintained by each entity in a dedicated fund and specifically used only for costs associated with field maintenance, upkeep, upgrade and alteration and the support thereof.

3. The Township of Middletown will continue to issue permits for all outdoor fields and facilities, whether on Township of Board of Education properties, except as follows:

a) The Board of Education will schedule use and issue field usage permits for the two synthetic turf multi-purpose fields located at High Schools North and South.

b) The Board of Education will schedule use and issue permits for usage of all Board of Education owned indoor recreational facilities, including gymnasiums, all-purpose rooms, “bubbles”, etc.

c) The Board of Education shall maintain full control over the scheduling and usage of all High School varsity fields, except for the lighted baseball field at Middletown South High School.

4. The Township shall perform all routine maintenance on fields it issues permits for, except as follows:

a) The Board of Education shall perform routine maintenance on in season school sports fields during the school year.

5. The Township shall perform all major upgrades, alterations and repairs to all outdoor sports fields in the Township, including those on Board of Education properties, with the following clarifications:

a) The Board of Education shall perform all routine repairs to all sports fields used primarily by the Board and located on Board of Education properties (e.g., varsity fields) during the school year;

b) The Township shall perform all routine repairs to all sports fields used primarily by the Township and located on Board of Education properties (e.g., fields at Village and Bayview Schools) during theschool year;

c) The parties will confer and determine their mutual participation and responsibilities in the event of the need for major or extraordinary repairs to playing fields on Board of Education properties at any time of year.

6. The Board of Education shall work with the Township Committee and shall authorize the development by the Township of Multi-Sport/MultiPurpose fields at or near each of the Middle-School facilities.

7. The parties hereby agree to develop and enter into a formalized shared services agreement to implement and carry out this initiative before the end of 2012 in order to begin implementation in 2013.