Legal Ump Rules on Softball Plan

Town Attorney Richard Saxl stepped to the plate in the debate over the Fairfield Little League Girls Softball field proposal yesterday. He submitted a legal opinion requiring the RTM to vote on two resolutions in order to approve the project.

Saxl said it will take one resolution to designate the property at 520 Hoydens Lane for active recreational use and a second to approve the $350,000 funding for the project. The land is not currently approved for any specific use, and per the town charter it is open space under the control of the Conservation Commission. Saxl will present his findings to that board on Thursday night.

"It remains up to the RTM to make a specific designation," Saxl wrote. "This resolution may be passed simultaneously with the proposed funding for the softball field, but it is not required to be."

Saxl said the RTM could designate the land for active recreation, placing it under the control of the Parks and Recreation Department, without approving the softball field. The RTM is set to vote on the issue at its June 28 meeting, which will be held at 7 p.m. in the Board of Education building on 501 Kings Highway East.

Residents have been split on the issue, with one side supporting the right of the girls to have their own field, while others do not want the town spend the money. The field was unanimously approved by the Board of Selectmen and also passed the Board of Finance.

But getting past the 30-person RTM should a tough test. A proposal to build a field on the property passed the selectmen and finance board last year, before being voted down by the RTM. The Republican controlled RTM has showed an unwillingness to approve any funding that will not return a profit as it attempts to cut town spending. Last month it declined to approve funding for school renovations, although it had been approved by the Board of Finance and Board of Education.

The field was purchased for $1.8 million by the town in Dec. 2007 and has been unused since.

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