Dear Mayor Cohn and Rye City Councilmembers,
On behalf of the 1,000+ Rye resident adult and children supporters of Let The Kids Play, the Board of Directors would like to thank you all for the attention that the current council has given to finding a solution to playable, durable outdoor field space in our community.
We respectfully ask that on April 17, the council comes together to unanimously agree to move forward with the public-private partnership and authorize the completion of the design plans for the Nursery Field Improvement Project with the goal of our youth programs being able to use the field at the start of the spring 2025 season.
We all want the same things … safe surfaces for our kids, improvement of the drainage at the field and the surrounding areas, a design that maintains the aesthetics of the current property, a space that all residents can be proud of, and fiscal responsibility with our tax dollars. The partnership between Let The Kids Play, the City Council, and city staff would deliver all of those things.
Over the last couple of weeks, the student athletes in our community have had to be hosted by neighboring towns for field space as our grass fields are not yet open and the high school turf has been closed due to flooding. Several of our youth sports programs have not been able to start practices due to the lack of field availability. We simply do not have enough durable field space for a community of our size.
We truly appreciate the various perspectives brought by members of the community for this project. All of the diligence and feedback has ensured that this project will be as safe and environmentally friendly as any public multi sport playing field in the country.
We agree that there are improvements available to the way that the grass is currently maintained for the existing 12 grass fields in our community. To that end, we fully support the city authorizing a grass maintenance pilot program at one of the other fields in addition to the Nursery Field Improvement Project.
We have said from the start that the goal of Let The Kids Play is to improve play spaces in our community, not just a one-time project. We plan to continue working to raise money for other youth focused needs in our community, but our supporters are clear that the improvement of Nursery Field must be the first step.
At the City Council meeting on March 20, City Manager Usry did an incredible job presenting the 2024 Comprehensive Plan. There are so many projects in development including improving sidewalks, upgrading the sewage system, new DPW structures, and the much-needed addition of an HVAC system at City Hall. While many council members have stated that field space is a priority, where is the money going to come from? For five years, there have been two broad groups of residents who have offered to cover the cost to improve the drainage and install a turf field selected by city staff (as well as the future replacement) with literally no strings attached. As City Council members, your duty is to serve the entire community in a fiscally responsible way and advancing this project is the only way to do that.
As we have said consistently, we will make ourselves available to meet with the entire council, individual council members, city staff and/or those opposed to this project to discuss any aspects between now and April 17.
Again, on behalf of the 1,000+ Rye resident supporters of Let The Kids Play, we appreciate all of the time and consideration spent on this evaluation and all of the time that you volunteer for our community.
The Board of Let The Kids Play,
Scott Alberi, Caitlin Colvin, Chris Cunningham, Bill Curran, Brett Ehrlich, Milly Keighery, Andrew Layng, Gavin Molinelli, Matt Pymm, and Chris Watson