County Could Force Schools To Pay Fees To Use Parks

County officials are considering charging schools hundreds of dollars each time they use one of the county’s parks, NorthJersey.com reported.

Public groups and individuals who want to use the parks already pay fees but schools have largely not had to pay.

Some schools use the parks for daily athletic practices and games. Charging districts a fee could add up to thousands of dollars and place a financial burden on them, school athletic programs, and taxpayers.

The fee proposals are:

Seasonal fields: Saddle River County Park, Riverside County Park, Van Saun County Park, Pascack Brook County Park, Samuel Nelkin County, and the Henry Hobel area of Overpeck County park.

Bergen County residents: $395 for a season and a $395 security deposit or $145 fee per game along with a $145 security deposit.

Non-residents: $790 for a season and $790 security deposit or $225 per game and a $225 security deposit.

Specialty fields: Riverside County Park (the multi-purpose field and turf baseball field0, Overpeck County Park (the Palisades Park and Ridgefield Park areas).

Bergen County residents: $175 for a daytime slot and $175 security deposit and $245 for a nighttime slot, along with a $245 security deposit.

Non-residents would pay $295 for a daytime slot and $295 security deposit and $475 for a nighttime slot, along with a $475 security deposit.