Last spring, a proposal by the Alexander Central School District to charge fees to the Tri-Town Youth Athletics Association for use of the high school's football field upset many parents of young athletes.
It could have added another $4,000 to the cost of the football program.
Now, according to Lisa Lyons, president of the association, the proposal may have been for the best.
Rather than pay the fee, volunteers banded together and reconstructed a field in need of repair so it could serve as Tri-Town's new football field.
"Somebody mentioned this week as we were cleaning up at the field, and somebody said, 'I think maybe we should write and thank her, thank Ms. Huber (Superintendent Catherine Huber),' " Lyons said. "This has been a really good thing. Our concession stand is thriving. We have everything in one place. It's made things on game days a lot easier. We're not hauling equipment and concessions to the football field and back. It's been a lot better for us. It really has."
The field -- which is on property used by Tri-Town behind the Alexander Fire Department Recreation Hall off of Alexander Road -- was used for soccer and other activities but over the summer, volunteers brought in heavy equipment and stripped the existing grass from the field, regraded it, leveled it and planted new sod. The only expense -- which Lyons said she would need board permission to disclose -- was the new grass.
The new field has brought back a lot of Tri-Town alumni back to check things out and attendance at the youth football games has increased, Lyons said.
"I feel like people have come out to the woodwork to see what’s going," she said.
Tri-Town hasn't completely worked out what it will do for basketball. It's probably unavoidable to use school facilities for practices, which means paying a fee for usage and chaperons (a new requirement from the district) but Lyons indicated they may have other options than using the school on game days.
"We have to weigh out our options and see what the best financial option is," Lyons said.
Photos: Football photos by Howard Owens from Saturday. Construction photos submitted by Lisa Lyons.
