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the date to start using soccer fields, she said that the fields were made of Bermuda grass, which <br />is a warm field grass. If the field is used before April 1St, there is not sufficient chance for the <br />grass to recover from the winter. This puts the soccer alliance at a disadvantage because of <br />their schedule. <br />Commissioner Carey said that it would be interesting to know why other suggestions <br />were made by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen. He asked who would be certifying that the <br />majority of the users are from Orange County. Also, regarding the refund policy, he said that <br />there should be a credit for the next use because it could be labor intensive to print out checks <br />because of cancellations. <br />Lori Taft said that it was the intention of staff to keep a tally of what is owed. <br />Commissioner Carey said that the policy says, "refund" and it should be reworded. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that he has concerns about issues of the CHCCS <br />paying for maintenance costs of these fields. Lori Taft said that the contract said that the <br />CHCCS would be responsible for maintenance of the field, aside from major renovations to the <br />irrigation system. The Town of Carrboro will do the field lining and will get money from the fees. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that a lot of people play soccer all year long. He said <br />that if we are going to maximize and utilize our soccer fields, maybe we should go with a <br />different type of field. Having a Bermuda field cuts dawn an the playing time significantly. He <br />made reference to the Soccer Super Fund that was approved by the voters in 2001 and said <br />that we are going to be building a lot of soccer fields in the future. He hopes we pay close <br />attention to haw to maximize utilization of the fields and not limit use from November to April. <br />Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the issue of the quality of the fields and <br />said that the Board directed the staff to try and develop fields for lasting use. The soccer people <br />also complained that there were no fields that were of any quality because they were worn to a <br />nub. He said that we could see how it works for a year and then there could be some <br />compromises with the time of use. He thinks that a simpler way to do priority of use would be to <br />say that you are a priority if you are a member of an organization that is a member of the <br />Orange County Soccer Alliance. This would do away with the percentages. He said that none <br />of these issues are that big and he would say to Carrboro that we could all make some <br />accommodations and then adjust the next season. <br />Chair Brown asked Lori Taft to bring back the information about whether this is haw <br />Carrboro treats all of their fields. <br />Chair Brown said that it seems the Board wants to go ahead with this agreement with <br />the possibility of reconsidering it next year about the use and then take out the percentages and <br />priority would be given to anyone that is a member of the Orange County Soccer Alliance. <br />Chair Brown is interested in having a longer use period in the year also and possibly <br />using a different kind of seed besides Bermuda grass. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that she does not want to limit it to the Orange County <br />Soccer Alliance. There are other groups that may want to reserve the field. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that he was just saying that the priority of use would be <br />far the Orange County Soccer Alliance, and then there would be two half-day open play periods <br />as stated in the policy. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that she would like to reconsider this next year. <br />Chair Brown said that this could be brought back as an agenda item with questions <br />answered. <br />Lori Taft clarified that the two half days were open to anyone and would not be <br />scheduled. <br />Commissioner Jacobs would like to know if the open play periods are not being used <br />so that they can be reevaluated. <br />Chair Brawn reiterated the rewording for unused scheduled times as "credit" and not <br />a "refund." <br />