Patrick Smeraldo of Collaborative Children’s Solutions speaks during Monday’s City Council meeting as Ericka Thomas, city controller, and Tom Nelson, a former council member, look on.
At the Jamestown City Council voting session in April, the council approved charging fees for use of the city park by traveling crews.
The board-approved resolution states travel fees for baseball and softball teams will be $125 per game, including practice time, adult flag football will be $200 per team and adult softball teams will be $200 per team and adult softball teams will be $200 per game. $365 per team, with these changes set to take effect on May 1st.
Before the resolution was approved, board member Joseph Paternini, Bergman Ward IV, asked that the resolution be amended slightly to reflect and be more definitive regarding the cost of each team’s individual pricing, specifically amending it to say that the Rates will be in effect per team per game. This change was also approved.
Before the vote, city resident and owner of Collaborative Children’s Solutions Patrick Smeraldo addressed the council in support of the fees.
“I was a little disturbed this morning when I saw the article about rental fees and baseball fields,” Smeraldo said. “I have no problem with that. In fact, it affects me. My son plays on a team that will play on these fields. His team or I, as a father, will have to come up with that money. I have no problem with that.”
Smeraldo went on to say that in recent years it has been a luxury to be able to use the fields for free, but the city has commitments to make. He added that he didn’t think it was an unreasonable amount of money to ask for and that he thought people didn’t understand how the city’s departmental structure works.
“For example, in 1986 or 1985, I worked for the parks department while I was in college and we had about 45 people in the parks department at the time,” Smeraldo said. “I believe there are about 17 now.”
Smeraldo gave a list of events that took place last year, including St. Patrick’s Day, the Easter Egg Hunt, Memorial Day, Christmas in July, the Summer Wellness Fair, the County Festival, Gus Macker, Labor Day, Halloween and the Christmas Parade, saying these are all events the parks department handles, and it’s a lot for 17 people. He added a few other items that the department takes care of, including field maintenance that happens after hours and incurs extra costs.
“The city shouldn’t have to put up with this,” Smeraldo said. “It is what it is. I don’t know if the travel clubs, all the coaches and kids reside in the city, but that’s where we are in the city.”
With Smeraldo’s company, Collaborative Children’s Solutions, hosting and being responsible for several events in the city, he said he doesn’t mind having to pay extra fees for certain things since the events are not city events. He went on to say that the city has other things it worries about.
“The city is dealing with two heinous crimes last week against children and we are concerned about the rates?” Esmeraldo said. “This is ridiculous. Have another bake sale, give up. Do what you have to do. This is a town and this is the price of doing business.”
Smeraldo said that each employee in each department gives “everything they have” to the city, which includes “countless hours”, and is then “brutalized on social media”, which he also considered ridiculous.
In addition to fees, the council also approved grant resolutions for the Prendergast Landing project, authorizing members of the police and fire departments to participate in training and lifting a hiring freeze at the Department of Public Works.
