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Chicopee officials say $50,000 Play Act earmark was forfeited after state emails were flagged as junk
Summary
City officials and councilors told the Parks and Recreation Committee that required forms for a state Play Act earmark were not returned; staff said about $50,000 in youth-sports funding was lost after state emails went to a junk folder. Committee members discussed clearer internal contact procedures for future earmarks.
Chicopee City Parks and Recreation Committee members were told Monday that the city forfeited roughly $50,000 in state Play Act earmark funds for youth sports after required forms were not returned.
"Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, some forms were not completed, and, unfortunately, we lost out on these funds," said Ben Shukka, a parks staff member, during the committee’s Oct. 6 meeting. Committee members said the state had sent multiple reminders that went unanswered.
The Play Act earmark was intended to help families pay fees for organized youth sports using a city-managed distribution method. Committee discussion and staff remarks described an initial plan in which the city would receive the money and then allocate it to participating nonprofit programs or provide family-level credits after verification through the school department. A parks staff member told the committee the city does not collect program registration fees for most rec leagues; private organizations that run teams typically retain fees they collect.
Councilors and staff said the state contacted the city repeatedly before the deadline. Committee members said at least five emails from the state warned that the forms were missing and the earmark would be forfeited. "They sent an email on this date, this date, this date, this date, and this date," a councilor said, summarizing the state's reminders. Park staff reported that the state's messages were later found in a junk-mail folder.
Representative Arriaga had secured the earmark for youth sports in Chicopee and participated in early planning, committee members said. One committee member described the Play Act allocation as a pilot intended to expand into broader support so children could participate in sports regardless of family circumstances. Committee discussion focused on how the communication breakdown happened and steps to prevent a repeat, including assigning multiple city contacts for future earmarks so a single missed message would not cost the city funding.
Councilors also asked for clarity on how the money would have been distributed among nonprofit programs, noting organizations differ in size and number of participants. Committee members described two possible distribution approaches that had been discussed: (1) direct allocations to nonprofit programs based on participant signups and (2) an online family signup with residency vetting performed by the school department so funds could follow individual participants to their chosen programs.
The committee did not take further substantive action on the Play Act item at the meeting. Members placed the agenda item on file after the public-input period concluded and moved to adjourn.
Committee members said they will follow up with Representative Arriaga’s office and city administrative offices to define a clearer internal process for handling future earmarks.
