Little League players will continue to use Castleberg Park for free despite a pressing request from the city recreation department for rental fees to fund field maintenance.
City Council members came down on the Riverbank Youth Baseball & Softball Association's side on Sept. 8 after hearing addresses from Parks & Recreation Director Sue Fitzpatrick and the League's new president Ken Sherman.
As part of a new fee schedule to help support all the department's programs, parks and facility use, Fitzpatrick proposed the youth league pay $25 per day for a snack bar fee and $75 per day per field during tournaments.
So far, the League has been required only to pay for use of the field's lights.
Despite department arguments that the field's two baseball diamonds are heavily used and the department needs more funds to maintain them especially when tournaments are held there, council members decided not to impose new fees at a time when the League is struggling with financial problems and new officers are taking over.
"It's hard for us to maintain the fields at a high standard when the community is unwilling to meet us halfway," Fitzpatrick commented.
City Council members came down on the Riverbank Youth Baseball & Softball Association's side on Sept. 8 after hearing addresses from Parks & Recreation Director Sue Fitzpatrick and the League's new president Ken Sherman.
As part of a new fee schedule to help support all the department's programs, parks and facility use, Fitzpatrick proposed the youth league pay $25 per day for a snack bar fee and $75 per day per field during tournaments.
So far, the League has been required only to pay for use of the field's lights.
Despite department arguments that the field's two baseball diamonds are heavily used and the department needs more funds to maintain them especially when tournaments are held there, council members decided not to impose new fees at a time when the League is struggling with financial problems and new officers are taking over.
"It's hard for us to maintain the fields at a high standard when the community is unwilling to meet us halfway," Fitzpatrick commented.
