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2 <br /> Hillsborough Hogs and Recreation Factory Partners (RFP) is a difficult one. He said there is a <br /> question of where the youth will play. He explained why there is increasing urgency in the need <br /> for the county to respond. He said they are governed by USA Hockey and travel programs have <br /> tryouts May 10-11. He said that is dictated by USA Hockey. He said that players are expected to <br /> commit by mid-May. He said house leagues do not have tryouts and they are a recreational <br /> league. He said their registration is usually mid-June through early July. He said that families are <br /> tense and upset about recent changes by Recreation Factory Partners. He said there could be <br /> an exodus of families leaving Orange County and driving to play hockey in other counties. He <br /> said a lot of the programs around are also seeing the same demand for hockey and limited ice <br /> time. He offered his assistance and support if the Board has any questions about hockey. <br /> Martin Molloy said he reviewed the emails from RFP sent to the Board. He said that in one <br /> email, RFP states that the Hogs will live on with the same amount of ice time and volunteers. He <br /> said that no one has contacted the volunteers or families to talk about the need for volunteers or <br /> continuing the program. He said it is causing a lot of anxiety. He said his son has said he will not <br /> play for RFP, and they are looking at a way to play hockey outside of Orange County. He said <br /> the presumption that they will play for the RFP and be under their management seems galling to <br /> him. He said that his son will be done playing hockey in a couple of years. He said that even when <br /> he is done, he would stay and volunteer for the Hogs, but he will not volunteer for a profit company <br /> that is trying to feed into their travel program. He said time is of the essence and depending on <br /> elected officials to intervene. <br /> Neel Vuolo thanked the Board for listening to the concerns of the commenters. He said <br /> his son played for the Hogs and had great coaches who were good teachers of the game. He <br /> said his son has made friends through the program, off and on the ice. He said that the program <br /> has helped him become a self-assured young man. He said that the proposal by RFP is a sham. <br /> He asked where they would find dedicated volunteers. He asked how they would get ice time <br /> and what would happen if the Hogs were unable to do so. He said it seems like it is set up to fail <br /> and that would leave only their overly expensive travel team. <br /> Andy Dwyer said he is a hockey parent and a volunteer coach. He said he has a lot of <br /> positive things to say about their organization. He said they prioritize being a good person first <br /> and having fun. He said that objectively though, they are high scoring on all measures of success. <br /> He said no one makes a dime. He said it is all volunteer led. He said it is an extremely high <br /> performing organization and now a for-profit management company will be hired to replace them <br /> and take over youth hockey. He asked who would be paying for this support and if it would be <br /> based on Orange County taxpayer money. He asked the Board to ask the questions to RFP and <br /> if they find the answers are not satisfactory, then it is a major cause for concern. <br /> Kristin Bedell said she has been a hockey parent since 2014 and she was lucky enough <br /> to be a volunteer coach. She said that her shy kid blossomed on the ice. She said that he is <br /> learning to be a better person through hockey. She said that there is pride that comes with <br /> continuing a 43-year-old sports tradition in Orange County. She said that during this dispute, a <br /> SportsPlex employee did not act in good faith and made a mistake by accessing minors social <br /> media accounts, including her own child's account. She said her child has reported being fearful <br /> of retaliation at the SportsPlex. She said that it is not the first time that employees have used <br /> social media inappropriately involving the accounts of minors. She said that when she brought <br /> this up to management, including screenshots, her concerns went ignored. She said that she then <br /> reached out to commissioners and found out that SportsPlex management had already been in <br /> contact with them. She said after that, the management contacted her. She said that she asked <br /> for a public apology and there has not been one, nor is one likely to be forthcoming. She said that <br /> there should also be training for employees on proper social media use. She said she was given <br /> a section of the handbook that focuses on protecting the SportsPlex brand rather than the public. <br /> She said that the response she received expressed outrage that anyone would even consider <br /> retaliation by management as a possibility. She said that this is a distraction. She said the <br />