It’s All About the Kids

Mighty Mites © Sharon Wilbur 2011

For years now, a program where over 100 children in town learn to work as a team, learn about doing their best, stay active and healthy, has been under attack.  Every year when those kids don their uniforms, an element in town makes them and their parents wonder whether they’ll get to play.  This year FoBPS has forced the issue early.

Their recently distributed letter refers you to the 1987 Recreation Commission Rules, insisting that they were reaffirmed and should be followed.  They were in fact reaffirmed by the Recreation Commission and extended to all parks.  As we learned at the Special Recreation Commission meeting, many of those rules are illegal now, yet elements in town would have you think they are perfectly okay the way they are (they’re ok breaking rule # 10 which excludes dogs, not that I am against allowing dogs on leash).  Perhaps that is because the people from FoBPS would like to exclude out-of-town folks from using the facilities, for whatever reason. 

There is no tone of compromise from this group.  They don’t want to wait until the field at Antolini is complete; they prefer to shut the football program down.   

There are those in town who would have them extend the illegal rules to Elementary School fields, putting public school property under control of the Recreation Commission.    The Town of New Hartford and Boards of Education do a fine job of regulating their property, and that is a totally unnecessary move.

We at New Hartford Beacon support NHYFBC.  That is no secret.  Folks with FoBPS do not.  That is also no secret.  In the interest of fairness, we decided to use this site as a vehicle for residents to voice their concerns about the issues facing our youth sports programs.  

It is posted on our Terms page that we will not block any post.  We only request that it relate to the topic, and is kept “clean, honest, and respectful.”  We reserve the right to edit inappropriate content (don’t post it if you wouldn’t let your kids read it), and will leave an explanation, but will not delete the post.

The one thing that makes me really love New Hartford, is the opportunity children have growing up here, because of the support and encouragement they get from the community.