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Board keeps current coach-request system for spring sports and reviews field-use fees
Summary
Board decided to retain existing coach/team-request practices for the coming season to avoid losing volunteer teams, and discussed field-use fees, rentals to outside teams and tournament/concession revenue and associated setup costs.
The Perkins Parks and Recreation Board discussed spring sports registration, team composition and field-use fees and concluded to retain the current system this season rather than implement a mandatory draft.
Staff reported registration fees at $65 per child with a late fee of $80, and described multiple divisions (12U, 10U, 8U and t-ball) and expected team counts. Several board members and staff said whole-roster teams that have played together for years frequently register as intact units; parents and community members have expressed concerns about coach-picked teams, but staff warned that changing to a draft system now would likely cause several volunteer-led teams to withdraw and reduce local participation.
Board members discussed potential mitigations for access—hiring paid coaches to staff teams, moving some children up an age bracket, and using "floaters" to assemble teams—but flagged limited budget, the volunteer nature of coaching and the risk that some families would take teams to neighboring towns. Staff noted incoming players from neighboring communities (Ripley, Kearny) and said they will accommodate as many children as practicable.
Separately, staff noted field-use fees listed on the agenda were incorrect and described the current rental practice: non-league field rentals and renting tribal fields for practice at a cost the staff gave as just over $600 for the season for both fields. A weekend tournament across the parks generates roughly $1,500 in rental income and substantially more in concessions at larger venues (estimates of $2,000 for some sites). Board members discussed whether field-use fees adequately cover staff time for setup and maintenance (dragging, lining) and whether fee adjustments are necessary; no formal fee increase was adopted at the meeting.
The board asked staff to discuss options and bring potential policy changes forward in time to set sign-up rules before next spring’s registrations.
