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The Lansing Town Planning Board voted last week to recommend a temporary rule change that would allow the Gorges Classic Soccer Tournament to use soccer fields next to the RINK over Labor Day weekend.  One of the conditions under which the fields were allowed restricts commercial use and caps players' age at 18 years old. Tournament organizer Ibe Jonah asked last month that the age restriction be lifted for a weekend to enable his event, which includes player over 30, 40 and 50 years old, to use the fields.  But Dennis Read, who lives next to the fields, expressed concerns about changing the conditions and about accountability when outside groups use the fields.

"With somebody coming in and using it on a one or two day basis I feel there is nobody to turn to for that," he said.  "I am not opposed to the idea of there being a soccer tournament (there)." he said.  I am more concerned that people think that restrictioon doesn't make much sense, so let's find a way around it.  And I'm afraid people will say, 'a lot of people came to this tournament so let's put some bleachers in.'  Then the next year it will be, 'OK let's put a scoreboard up.'"

After discussing the issue at length at its June 17th meeting the Town Board decided to bring it up at a joint meeting with the Planning Board last week.  At that time most board members agreed that the tournament could be beneficial to the Town, but there was much discussion about how it could be accommodated, especially because of the age restriction governing the fields' use.  The age restriction is one of eleven conditions that were required before the fields gained Town approval.  "No commercial activity shall be permitted on the site in the use of the fields and facilities shall be restricted to club members and guests only, with such club members, per club rules, being limited to generally soccer players age 18 and under," it says.

Read said many neighbors were against the fields when they were originally proposed.  He said he was not one of those, but was concerned about it becoming a spectator facility rather than the participant facility that was eventually approved in 2009.  He said restricting it to club use gave neighbors somebody to turn to if there were problems such as unauthorized parking, trash, noise, and so on.

"These are a lot of the same concerns that we've been talking about," said Planning Board member Larry Sharpsteen.  "So we're on board with that."

Planning Board members were very reluctant to make permanent changes to the conditions.  Board member Richard Prybyl urged a 'temporary one-time only' adjustment and 'see how it goes' before considering lifting the age restriction on a permanent basis. 

"One of the big issues we struggle with is the difference between a recreational playground activity versus commercial soccer field," said Planning Board Chairman Tom Ellis.  "A commercial recreational field was not allowed in that district.  This has to stay at the level of club use."

The only change required to allow the tournament is to the age limit.  There was much discussion about whether it should lifted temporarily, permanently, or at all.

"I would personally recommend that you get rid of the age restriction," said Town Attorney Guy Krogh.  "If I were a special prosecutor and somebody put up a zoning ticket with that restriction on it, I wouldn't enforce it.  I'd dismiss it as a D.A."

But board members were loath to remove the condition.  One noted that property owner John Young had asked for the age limit when he originally petitioned to build the fields.  They said he would have to come back to the board to ask for any changes to existing conditions, and noted that the permit is up for renewal every five years.  The next review is scheduled for 2018.

"Let's amend this to let him have his tournament on a one-weekend trial basis," Ellis said.

The board voted unanimously to do that.

The Town Board, at a special meeting Wednesday, scheduled a public hearing on the matter for July 15th at 6:07pm at the Lansing Town Hall.

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