March 12, 2007

WHYTE INSISTS THAT LITTLE LEAGUES MUST BE ABLE TO PRACTICE AT PARKS

Erie County Legislature Majority Leader Maria R. Whyte (D-Buffalo) held a press conference Monday, March 12, to insist that the Little Leagues be able to practice at the Olmsted Parks. The Olmsted Parks Conservancy has said that while their recently proposed fee schedule has been addressed by additional funding from the City, the issue of practicing on the fields remains "unresolved."

"The genius of Frederick Law Olmsted was not simply in creating beautiful parks in urban areas but creating usable parks for the urban population. As such, the Little Leagues must be able to practice on the fields. In most cases, there are simply not enough fields in the city to designate some for practice and some for games," Legislator Whyte said.

The Olmsted Parks Conservancy recently caused quite a panic among little league sports teams when it announced that it would charge leagues a per-game fee for us of the park, as opposed to a flat seasonal rate that had always been charged in the past.

"I commend Mayor Brown, Councilmember Golombek, and the Conservancy for working collaboratively to resolve the fee issue, at least for now. But the issue of practicing on the fields cannot go without resolution," Legislator Whyte said.

Legislator Whyte will introduce a resolution Tuesday calling upon the City, the County, and the Conservancy to come in front of the County Legislature for public discussion on the topic. The resolution will also ask the Conservancy to retract the fee schedule by notifying in writing every organization originally contacted about the fees.

"We don't spend millions of dollars every year in maintenance for these parks so that they can be admired from a distance. These parks are an integral part of day-to-day life for every resident of the City of Buffalo," Legislator Whyte added. "They are supposed to be used. I am going to make sure that the City, the County, and the Conservancy understand this. Kids will practice in Olmsted parks this summer."

Legislator Whyte also indicated her belief that the parks are under funded: "The Parks budget is inadequate. Simply speaking, both the City and the County need to invest more resources in the parks. But no matter what, the parks budget cannot be balanced on the backs of the Little Leagues."

Last fall, Legislator Whyte helped defeat a Giambra proposal to have fees at all Erie County parks. As such, the 2007 County Budget does not contain any parks user fees.

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