Huge increases in park usage fees charged by the Housing, Parks and Recreation Department have Sen. George Goodwin upset, and he wants Commissioner Ira Hobson to rescind them "until they are approved by the governor."
Goodwin, who chairs the Legislature's Housing, Parks and Recreation Committee, addressed his concerns specifically to fees being assessed to baseball leagues.
According to information his office has been given, the fees have gone from $600 to $3,200 for the season, a spokesperson in Goodwin's office said Wednesday.
A member of Hobson's staff said Wednesday that she did not have the actual numbers, and the person with them was at a meeting at Government House.
Given the "financial quagmire our government is currently experiencing," Goodwin said in his release, he applauds the commissioner's efforts to generate revenues. However, he added, "an increase of this magnitude and aimed at this particular group is totally unfair and unacceptable." Furthermore, he said, the commission needs to address the deteriorated condition of the baseball fields on St. Thomas.
Goodwin said his office has received complaints from "several baseball league organizers, managers and, in some instances, players" about "the unacceptable condition of the baseball fields."
