CC 05-04-2021 Item No. 14 Updated Athletic Field Use Policy_Written CommunicationsCC 05-04-21
#14
Continuation,
Updated Athletic
Field Use Policy
Written Comments
9
Cyrah Caburian
From:coachzim@sbcglobal.net
Sent:Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:05 PM
To:Darcy Paul
Cc:jwiley@cupertino.org; Liang Chao; Kitty Moore; Hung Wei; Deborah L. Feng
Subject:Parks and Recreation Proposed Field Policy Change
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the
sender and know the content is safe.
Dear Mayor,
I am concerned about the current Parks and Recreation proposal that was presented
earlier this week. At a time when children’s health and well-being has never been so
important, an increase to field fees will prevent some families from participating in
organized youth programs. Back when I was a child in this neighborhood, I would be
out all day on my own playing with friends until it was time for dinner. That way of life is
long gone and now every childhood event is planned out with supervision. Youth
programs keep kids safe and parents minds at ease that they are being supervised.
We need them now more than ever. Many non-profit programs have suffered
financially due to the pandemic and are on the brink of closing. This fee increase could
be the final straw.
I am excited that the new proposal will continue to give a waiver to inclusive sports for
special needs kids. The city has been hosting this program since 2003 and it is a
blessing that we can keep the cost to parents to a minimum. It is truly an amazing thing
to watch special needs kids participate like everyone else and has had national
recognition. Thank You!
Cupertino is currently one of the few cities that does not allow Sunday usage. I
understand the desire to allow a day for Cupertino families to have the park free of
organized youth sports but the reality of it is, most families don’t use the fields and it
opens the door for rogue adult usage which is a real issue in the city. Having organized
youth user groups will help curtail this rogue usage. Perhaps a compromise of half the
fields in the Parks and Recreations inventory could be rented on Sundays which leaves
fields available for Cupertino families and keeps rogue usage to a minimum.
Sincerely,
Art Zimmermann
Interim President De Anza Youth Soccer
Regional Commissioner AYSO Regin 64
Director of South Bay VIP Soccer (Inclusive Soccer for Special Needs Kids)
1
Cyrah Caburian
From:Hemant Buch <buchhemant@yahoo.com>
Sent:Monday, May 3, 2021 3:37 PM
To:'jwiley@cupertino.org'; Liang Chao; Kitty Moore; Hung Wei; Deborah L. Feng; Darcy Paul
Subject:Proposed Field use policy change Concerns
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the
sender and know the content is safe.
Hello Cupertino City Manager and Council members,
We have collected several hundred signatures from residents supporting our request for revisiting the proposed field use
policy.
Here are our concerns that we request your office to address:
REQUEST TO RECONSIDER THE PROPOSED ATHLETIC FIELD USE POLICY AND FEE STRUCTURE
Through this letter, we would like to express our concern regarding the proposed Athletic Field Use Policy and fee
structure.
Here are our concerns:
1. Please allow more Sundays for permitted use. Allowing just 2 more Sundays in a year (in addition to 2 Sundays for
Tournaments) is too little for our needs. We need to have permit for atleast 3 Sundays a month to be able to provide
enough games for young boys and girls.
2. Please allow pick-up games for youth on Sundays when field is not booked for permitted use. Youth need to be
engaged in healthy outdoor activities and prohibiting pick-up games will force them to stay indoors. Youth (12 and under)
pick up games does require supervision for safety, security and bringing some discipline to their activity so they don’t
waste time.
3. Please extend time for permitted Sunday use in place of proposed 10 AM to 2 PM time. Some of our games last
longer than 4 hours. Moreover, longer use time will enable us to accommodate more than one game in the allowed time.
4. Please review the fee structure as the proposed fee structure will put a huge financial burden on resident non-profit
organizations that use the fields. Additionally, our financial year does not start till March so this increase is not budgeted
this year. Covid has also affected our enrollment this year.
We request the Cupertino City Council to please review the proposed policy in light of the concerns listed above and
come up with a mutually agreeable policy that will be conducive to engaging youth in healthy outdoor activities.
Regards,
Hemant Buch