Winchester Developing Pricing Plan for Field Use

Representatives from the town’s Field Management Committee presented a plan at last week’s School Committee meeting that would charge outside entities – such as leagues and clinics – for use of the town’s fields.

The representatives walked School Committee members through the latest draft of their “Field Permit Policy,” which outlines the reservation process and pricing.

Charging these outside entities for field use has become commonplace among Winchester’s neighbors, according to Recreation Director Christopher Nelson, who spoke for the Field Management Committee.

He, along with School Committee Chairman Christopher Linskey, who has also been involved in the process, said there has never been such a high demand for Winchester’s fields, while, at the same time, the town’s public works budget has seen cuts in recent years.

“All towns are looking for additional revenue,” Linskey said.

The funds collected, which are projected to total between $45,000 and $55,000 per year, would primarily go toward field maintenance costs – which tend to be slightly more than that amount. A portion of the money would also go toward the additional administrative costs associated with implementing the plan.

There is also an idea to put some of the money aside in an account, which would eventually be used to help pay for the replacement of the turf field at .

School Committee member Michael Schindelman said he worried that certain leagues or clinics might leave Winchester for a neighboring town.

“I’d hate to see [them] leave town,” he said. “I think they provide a service for the people in the town.”

Nelson said Winchester’s rates would be comparable to those in nearby towns. He said the town’s biggest users – youth soccer, baseball, lacrosse and Pop Warner football – have been made aware of the potential changes and have been invited to the committee’s meetings.

The Field Management Committee went to the School Committee members for input. It is planning to reconvene to discuss their comments, before presenting the draft to the Board of Selectmen at a future meeting.

Representatives said they would like to see a plan in place by this coming spring.