Keep the lights on at Shaffer Park
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The entire situation occurring at Shaffer Park is just giving me a headache … plain and simple.
From what I understand, here is the current situation … the city wants to cut, or is cutting, their entire amount allotted to both Shaffer and Liberty Parks. They want to turn them into "daytime" parks, and – this part is my opinion – those in charge are using the 50-plus-year-old ball park as a scapegoat for their own problems they've caused with not only recent decisions, but decisions made for many years in the past.
This isn't just one person's or one administration's fault, but years of overspending have caught up to the fine folks who are in charge of this town, and now a ball park has to suffer … or does it?
The thing is, what have the city administration and council actually done to fix their problems but have public disagreements on a weekly basis?[[In-content Ad]]In a recent discussion with Bruce Davis, who has run ball park operations at Shaffer Park for over five years and has worked at the park in different capacities for the last 25 years, and who was working at Shaffer Park this week in preparation for the winter months, I was told that no one from the city has communicated with him since before the July 25 vote to keep the Hillsboro Fire Department intact.
"To be honest with you, nobody from the city has talked to me in over a month, and unless they come here and tell us we can't operate, we are going to run this park the same we always have," Davis said on Wednesday. "Things will be tighter without the funding from the city, but we will survive – if they let us."
Good for Mr. Davis … good for those who care about the historical ball park.
"The assumption is we are working as usual until someone tells me we aren't," Davis said. "Unless the city shuts us down, we'll operate like always. I've been here working at the park for 25 years, and I won't let this place go to pot. If I have to work for free, I will. I won't let the kids (suffer) because of this situation.
"Operating on the assumption as we always have, there will still be night games because we'll have no choice. It's just not possible to play hundreds of games on Saturdays and Sundays. Again, unless we are told otherwise, we'll operate like we have."
I don't believe Shaffer or Liberty Parks will be shut down (even the ones voted in charge can't mess that up), but turning Shaffer Park into a daytime park is simply a slap in the face to all of those who use or visit the parks on a daily basis.
This isn't a personal agenda against anyone in the administration or on council individually, but cutting the budget of the parks completely (sure, cut a little, but all of it?) is a failure on their parts collectively as a group.
I still believe the city should give something back to a institution that has given so much to the community.
I'll credit Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Rick Giroux for being direct with me in answering questions about the situation at the start of August, and he even said then: "Based on the substantial deficit the city will experience next year, the park system will more than likely be a casualty of the staggering cuts that will have to be made in order to have a balanced 2013 budget."
Mr. Giroux also said, "Due to the level of deficit next year, I would imagine that council would not budget for the parks at all in 2013."
It was, and it is.
I and others don't agree with the decision.
I also know there are more important things in this world than sports at a local park, but those parks are good for the community, and I hate seeing all the history and goodwill at those parks from the past 50 years end up being nothing more than a budget cut. Fifty-plus years of hard work, sacrifice and effort by the elders before us all wraps up into a simple budget cut.
I don't see a daytime park working for the hectic schedule of the park. Are the 9- or 10-year-olds going to drive themselves to the ball park in the summer on a midday afternoon? Most folks don't get off work until after 5 p.m., so a daytime park just won't work like it needs to when it comes to supporting all the little league teams.
I'm "glad" nine percent of a deficit that could/will be in the $1,100,000 range in 2013 will push aside two nice parks with a "we don't care" attitude because that is sure what seems to be happening. Am I wrong?
"We've been here for over 50 years, and we have between 800 to 900 kids through this park each summer. Our biggest fundraiser is the end-of-year tournament, plus we host high school and the American Legion games … this park is a big draw to the community," Davis said. "Local businesses make money from our tournaments, and plus, we give the kids something to do and a place to go in the summer.
"Operating as if we won't be budgeted by the city, we might have to do more fundraising, raise fees maybe ... or cut back on some things."
Then the thought of having volunteers was brought up, and Davis told me that is a tricky situation as well.
"My big thing with the city was I can't have the 18- to 20-year-olds out here working without worker's compensation," he said. "If the city can't give us that, we'll have to do something else. I just can't have teenagers mowing and working here without worker's compensation."
Maybe I care too much about baseball, the parks, etc. in Hillsboro – or maybe those who dot the I's and cross the T's don't care enough to give the current youth in Hillsboro the same opportunities their elders worked for to give them.
To the city … don't shut down the park. Don't turn it into a daytime park. Let those who actually care about the venue do what they always have done, and stay out of it.
The last time I wrote on this topic, I ended by saying "for the sake of the youth in the city and Highland County, let's hope those in charge of making the budget cuts don't strike out the kids, take their ball and go home."
Looks like they took their ball and went home.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press.
From what I understand, here is the current situation … the city wants to cut, or is cutting, their entire amount allotted to both Shaffer and Liberty Parks. They want to turn them into "daytime" parks, and – this part is my opinion – those in charge are using the 50-plus-year-old ball park as a scapegoat for their own problems they've caused with not only recent decisions, but decisions made for many years in the past.
This isn't just one person's or one administration's fault, but years of overspending have caught up to the fine folks who are in charge of this town, and now a ball park has to suffer … or does it?
The thing is, what have the city administration and council actually done to fix their problems but have public disagreements on a weekly basis?[[In-content Ad]]In a recent discussion with Bruce Davis, who has run ball park operations at Shaffer Park for over five years and has worked at the park in different capacities for the last 25 years, and who was working at Shaffer Park this week in preparation for the winter months, I was told that no one from the city has communicated with him since before the July 25 vote to keep the Hillsboro Fire Department intact.
"To be honest with you, nobody from the city has talked to me in over a month, and unless they come here and tell us we can't operate, we are going to run this park the same we always have," Davis said on Wednesday. "Things will be tighter without the funding from the city, but we will survive – if they let us."
Good for Mr. Davis … good for those who care about the historical ball park.
"The assumption is we are working as usual until someone tells me we aren't," Davis said. "Unless the city shuts us down, we'll operate like always. I've been here working at the park for 25 years, and I won't let this place go to pot. If I have to work for free, I will. I won't let the kids (suffer) because of this situation.
"Operating on the assumption as we always have, there will still be night games because we'll have no choice. It's just not possible to play hundreds of games on Saturdays and Sundays. Again, unless we are told otherwise, we'll operate like we have."
I don't believe Shaffer or Liberty Parks will be shut down (even the ones voted in charge can't mess that up), but turning Shaffer Park into a daytime park is simply a slap in the face to all of those who use or visit the parks on a daily basis.
This isn't a personal agenda against anyone in the administration or on council individually, but cutting the budget of the parks completely (sure, cut a little, but all of it?) is a failure on their parts collectively as a group.
I still believe the city should give something back to a institution that has given so much to the community.
I'll credit Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Rick Giroux for being direct with me in answering questions about the situation at the start of August, and he even said then: "Based on the substantial deficit the city will experience next year, the park system will more than likely be a casualty of the staggering cuts that will have to be made in order to have a balanced 2013 budget."
Mr. Giroux also said, "Due to the level of deficit next year, I would imagine that council would not budget for the parks at all in 2013."
It was, and it is.
I and others don't agree with the decision.
I also know there are more important things in this world than sports at a local park, but those parks are good for the community, and I hate seeing all the history and goodwill at those parks from the past 50 years end up being nothing more than a budget cut. Fifty-plus years of hard work, sacrifice and effort by the elders before us all wraps up into a simple budget cut.
I don't see a daytime park working for the hectic schedule of the park. Are the 9- or 10-year-olds going to drive themselves to the ball park in the summer on a midday afternoon? Most folks don't get off work until after 5 p.m., so a daytime park just won't work like it needs to when it comes to supporting all the little league teams.
I'm "glad" nine percent of a deficit that could/will be in the $1,100,000 range in 2013 will push aside two nice parks with a "we don't care" attitude because that is sure what seems to be happening. Am I wrong?
"We've been here for over 50 years, and we have between 800 to 900 kids through this park each summer. Our biggest fundraiser is the end-of-year tournament, plus we host high school and the American Legion games … this park is a big draw to the community," Davis said. "Local businesses make money from our tournaments, and plus, we give the kids something to do and a place to go in the summer.
"Operating as if we won't be budgeted by the city, we might have to do more fundraising, raise fees maybe ... or cut back on some things."
Then the thought of having volunteers was brought up, and Davis told me that is a tricky situation as well.
"My big thing with the city was I can't have the 18- to 20-year-olds out here working without worker's compensation," he said. "If the city can't give us that, we'll have to do something else. I just can't have teenagers mowing and working here without worker's compensation."
Maybe I care too much about baseball, the parks, etc. in Hillsboro – or maybe those who dot the I's and cross the T's don't care enough to give the current youth in Hillsboro the same opportunities their elders worked for to give them.
To the city … don't shut down the park. Don't turn it into a daytime park. Let those who actually care about the venue do what they always have done, and stay out of it.
The last time I wrote on this topic, I ended by saying "for the sake of the youth in the city and Highland County, let's hope those in charge of making the budget cuts don't strike out the kids, take their ball and go home."
Looks like they took their ball and went home.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press.