School Fields: Whose Are They, Anyway?

Taxpayers may just send in one check come tax time, but how the town and the schools determine who has to pay for what when it comes to school fields has become more complicated than that, since neither wants to use more of their budget money than absolutely necessary.

At a meeting of the Town Council Monday night, however, members made it clear that they wanted some sort of document outlining who is responsible for what with regard to school fields used by both schools and the town.

Town Manager Bill Sequino has been developming a "memorandum of understanding" with Supt. Victor Mercurio and other personel since fall 2010 when school officials decided the existing document needed updating in light of the new fields at the high school. However, every time a proposed document has been presented to the School Committee, the panel has had questions, sending it back to Mercurio and Sequino.

School fields are used by the schools, but they are also used by recreational youth and adult sports leagues. In addition, there is the question of control over rental fees, specifically from anticipated rentals of the turf field.

At Monday’s meeting, Sequino sought input from Councilors on how to proceed. He himself wondered if such a document was even warranted.

“I don’t think we need an MOU at all,” Sequino said. “I can’t picture the town … walking away from a problem that exists on school grounds,” he said, suggesting that the town’s responsible manner up to now made it impossible to imagine it would ever turn its back on the school fields. “My initial recommendation is, ‘If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.’”

“The School Committee started this discussion because the School Committee wants to have in writing what each side is going to do,” said Council President Michael Isaacs. “I think they have a right to know what we are going to provide to them.... I think it’s in everybody’s interest to have clarity.”

“My question six months ago was … what’s the most efficient way to handle maintenance of these fields?” said Councilman Jeff Cianciolo. He chaffed at what he called the at-times divisive relationship between town and schools, noting that for taxpayers, it didn’t really matter how the pot of money was divided up.

“Whenever the town and the schools are mentioned in the same sentence, there’s sometimes not peaceful co-existence,” said Cianciolo. “I don’t think that serves the taxpayers well.”

One part of the confusion over the fields comes from the fact that there’s been a lot of turnover of leadership in the School Department, Sequino pointed out. Conversely, Sequino and Parks and Recreation Director Cathy Bradley have both been on the job for more than 20 years.

“Bill and I have the longest tenure dealing with this issue. There’s been a lot of superintendents, a lot of athletic directors, PE teachers … re-educating everyone to know where everybody stands,” said Bradley.
Supt. Mercurio, on Tuesday, said through the MOU process he’d learned a lot about the fields and just how certain maintenance practices came about.

“When you look at the matrix of the MOU, the lion’s share is done by the town,” said Mercurio. “The town has been doing that work.”

“I think the first part of the process was helpful, figuring out who’s doing what. Most of the institutional memory … I didn’t know,” he said.

“Joe and Cathy have done great work to support us. When I first came here … the quality of service and care was seamless. I didn’t make a distinction between inside and outside,” he said, referring to what the schools did and what the town did. He now knows better.

At the meeting Monday night, after a long discussion, Michael Isaacs offered to take a stab at drafting yet another fields MOU.