Allentown and U.F. disagree about recreation fees BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer Allentown is not happy about its residents having to pay extra this year for Upper Freehold recreation programs. While township officials continue to vigorously defend the discounted recreation fees they recently adopted for Upper Freehold residents, the Allentown Borough Council passed a resolution at its April 29 meeting objecting to the higher fees for nonresidents. Allentown resident Johnna Stinemire wrote a letter to the Borough Council on April 23 in which she complained about having to pay an extra $10 this year for the Allentown/Upper Freehold summer camp because she is not an Upper Freehold resident. "I realize that $10 is not a big deal but the reasoning behind the extra fee is that Upper Freehold claims that they finance the whole program," Stinemire wrote. She further stated in the letter that she called the township's recreation department to express her disappointmentwith themunicipalities being at odds. TheAllentown resolution states that the borough and the township have various combined recreational programs. "The township and the borough wish to treat all of their children equally in the administration of such programs," the resolution states. The resolution further states that summer camp is conducted in a public venue and that the whole community needs to demonstrate that all children are being treated justly and fairly in the spirit of the towns' cooperation with each other. The council has urged the township to equalize fees for Allentown and Upper Freehold children and to remove the inequity. The Upper Freehold Township Committee reviewed the issue at its May 1 meeting. Committeeman David Reed said that the extra fees do not just apply to Allentown residents. He said residents of Robbinsville, Bordentown and any other town who sign up for township recreational programs have to pay the additional cost as well. Reed said the township gave Upper Freehold residents a $10 discount because their taxes pay to maintain the fields used for the programs. "To have nice recreation fields, we need money to take care of them," he said. Reed also said that he recently got a call from someone whose property abuts land his family sold to the township for recreation purposes. He said the person wants the township to place a buffer between the properties. "We need money for that and for proper planning of these parks," he said. Former Mayor William Miscoski, a longtime critic of Allentown Mayor Stuart Fierstein, said Allentown has not paid a cent toward the township's Byron Johnson Park or Mark Harbourt Soccer Complex. "I think Upper Freehold residents deserve to get a discount and Allentown can stick it where the sun don't shine," he said. Committeeman Stanley Moslowski Jr. said the township needs the extra fees from nonresidents because parks cost a lot to maintain. He also noted that not all township taxpayers use the parks. LoriSue Horsnall Mount C ommitteewoman said she hopes that when Allentown officials look at the issue, they consider their shortfall in funding local emergency services. She said emergency services also affect Allentown children. "They need to get their priorities in place," Horsnall Mount said of Allentown Borough Council members. Mayor Steve Alexander said it is not getting any cheaper for the township to maintain the many fields it has. "People don't see the costs associated with this," he said, noting that recreation costs amount to 5 percent of the township's budget this year. Alexander said the township pays $40,000 annually to fertilize the recreation fields. He also said the township pays for the administration of camps and other recreational programs as well as for the legal, engineering and construction costs associated with those programs. "There are only a couple of ways we can go about collecting money for fields those outside of Upper Freehold use," he said. "One is to give a discount to township residents and the other would be to go to the Allentown Borough Council and ask them to put money in the budget to pay the township." Alexander said many towns have different fees for residents and nonresidents. "Times are hard for everybody, including small governments," he said. "We will continue to maintain the parks but it comes at a cost." A letter from the township to the borough notes that Upper Freehold has hired a recreation director. The letter also states that the Upper Freehold Regional School District facilities are made available through an interlocal agreement the township has with the school district. The township gains the uses of school facilities for Upper Freehold, Allentown and other residents in exchange for servicing the schools by storing school buses, plowing, purchasing road materials and providing additional fields for students to use. The letter also states that the township is working on an ordinance to charge all organizations that use township fields. "Those that take advantage of the outstanding facilities that have been developed in this community should contribute to their upkeep," the letter states.