Youth leagues lament fees for lighted fields will sharply increase parents' costs for their children to play sports

POMONA - Youth sports groups may be spending less time under the lights of the city's athletic fields in the fall and future seasons.

That is one way youth sports leagues will try to hold down costs after learning the city plans to establish a fee for playing on fields equipped with lighting systems.

"We need to cut back on hours (playing under lights). So we have to get more daylight hours or have to try to schedule Sunday days," said George Bradford, president of Ted Greene Little League.

Bradford was among a small group who addressed the City Council at its July 19 meeting and explained the effect a proposed fee schedule would have on the leagues, young athletes and their families.

City administrators presented the fee concept to the council in June during budget deliberations advising city leaders a proposed fee schedule would be presented for approval at a later date.

The proposal called for an $18 an hour fee to play on city fields with lights. Councilmembers rejected that proposal and asked city staff to develop a revised fee schedule.

By establishing a fee, the city would be able to recover costs associated with lighting fields.

The city pays about $100,000 a year in energy costs associated with lighting fields, said Greg Shapton, the city's library and community services director.

Bradshaw said late last week an $18 an hour fee would cost his league more than $11,200 based on the number of hours his organization used lights during the spring season.

Such a cost would make lighting the biggest expense the league would have to shoulder.

"Our most significant expense will be lights...Forget umpires, uniforms or balls," Bradshaw said.

Creating a lighting fee will mean increasing the fees families pay for their children to play.

Bradshaw told council members Ted Greene Little League charged its athletes a $70 fee for the spring season that recently concluded.

An $18 an hour fee for lights would push up the registration fees to $120 or $130 making it difficult for parents to pay such costs, he said.

Bradshaw's league allows children who are unable to pay the fees to play but that means those who can pay will subsidize the costs of the approximately 20 percent who can't.

Paul Ayala, president of Pomona American Little League, said his organization would also have to increase its fees.

"We're going to lose some kids because we will have to charge $35 more," Ayala said.

Lighting fees will mean having to eliminate incentives offered to athletes as rewards for prompt fund raising and buying smaller and less expensive awards that are presented at the end of the season, he said.

Both Bradshaw and Ayala said they understand the situation the city is in and that there is no simple solution to the problem.

However, both men said the city must also look at charging others for using lights at sports facilities, such as tennis courts, instead of only focusing on leagues.

Another concern is that had the leagues known earlier what fees would be sought, they would have warned parents before the end of the season of a likely fee increase.

During last week's meeting council members asked city staff to apply for grants and that leagues seek sponsors to help off set the cost of fees.

Mayor Elliott Rothman asked staff to look into finding ways of making lighting systems more energy-efficient in order to reduce costs.

Councilman Tim Saunders said sports are "taking our kids off the streets" but the effects of the $18 fee could result in them leaving organized sports and expose them to negative activities.

Councilwoman Paula Lantz said that although council members were aware a fee was in the works "I don't think any of us realized what the actual amount" would be.

Council member sent the proposal back to staff to be reworked.

The matter was presented to members of the Youth Sports Council, which is made up of the heads of the various youth leagues in the city on Wednesday evening.

The sports council will have an opportunity to help craft a new fee proposal that will then be forwarded to the city's Parks and Recreation Commission before being presented to the City Council, said Ilona Arends, community services manager.

A new proposal could go to the City Council as early as September.

Rothman said Friday that because most sports teams are in between seasons at this time lighting costs should be minimal. But this lull presents an opportunity to develop a plan to improve energy efficiency of lighting systems and find programs to reduce energy cost so residents don't have to pay fees.