The use of Palmyra fields continued to be a subject of debate at last week’s borough meeting.
The use of Palmyra fields continued to be a subject of debate at last week’s borough meeting.
The township is looking into holding a referendum to tighten regulations governing the use of the athletic facilities at Legion Field after officials raised concerns at the June 4 work session.
Borough Administrator John Gural said the Palmyra-Riverton Athletic Association had let a group from Cinnaminson host a tournament at Legion Field. He said the PRAA did not submit the necessary insurance certifications from all the teams participating in the event. This was denied in a statement provided by the PRAA on June 7.
“We did have another series of events and incidents involving one of our youth athletic organizations essentially subletting our fields to outside groups, and those incidents occured last week,” Gural said. “I would urge the governing body to take action and move forward because this is, just frankly, this is getting out of hand.”
Some council members think clearer consequences should be put in place to prevent the recurrence of issues regarding the field. The borough’s goal is to put written penalties and consequences on paper and ultimately take the liability off of the borough, according to Councilman Timothy Howard.
Councilwoman Mindie Weiner expressed reluctance about the idea of potentially charging some of Palmyra’s organizations, which pay taxes and should use the field. Weiner suggested the field could be “opened up” to one or two outside teams a year, with Palmyra teams having a priority.
“What if we allowed for a certain number of teams to come in and we charge them?” Weiner asked. She added these fields were made for wear and tear.
Mayor Michelle Arnold asked that the committee get a comprehensive list together, sending it to Gural and then back to council so comments can be available before formal action is taken.
During public comment, resident Melissa Cummings expressed her concern about the liability potentially falling on the children of Palmyra instead of the authority figure that is allowing the field to be used by another party.
“If you let team A use it and the someone from team A lets team B use it and they trash it, are you going to punish the kids on team A?” Cummings said. “I don’t want to see any detriment to our children because someone in authority allowed it.”
Arnold said the intent of the field is to have them used by borough organizations.
“It can’t be a liability to the borough,” Arnold said
Arnold said that if someone takes the proper channels, including submitting an application and providing insurance coverage, then the field can be rented out with no issue.
The next meeting will take place on Aug. 6 at 7 p.m.
