Sunday, July 1, 2012

Why Catharpin Park is Not Funded

Catharpin Park was fully funded in the Prince William County FY 2013 budget, and the additional sports fields that are included in that funding are desperately needed in western Prince William County.  

But, at the last minute, funding for Catharpin Park was stripped from the budget -- and delayed until 2016 or later -- because of political infighting on the Board of County Supervisors.

There is already a critical shortage of fields in western Prince William County, and delaying the completion of Catharpin Park for another four years or beyond is simply unfair and unacceptable to the thousands of families who are being penalized because of a political dispute among members of the Board of Supervisors.

In the end, the losers are the kids who participate in competitive sports activities that need access to the promised fields that were promised to be built at Catharpin Park.  Youth leagues are already being forced to restrict enrollment in programs and have had to deny applications from hundreds of kids who want to play competitive sports, all because there are not enough fields to accommodate the growing family populations in the western part of the County.

Over the past decade, this same Board of County Supervisors approved all the new subdivisions our families now live in, and the underlying promise was that the County would provide the infrastructure for families to enjoy basic services, including recreational facilities for our families.

There is money available to finish Catharpin Park that is a part of the end-of-year budget process called "carry-over."  It will take five votes of the eight Board members to secure this desperately needed funding for Catharpin Park.


On July 17th the Board of County Supervisors will discuss the funding of Catharpin Park and impacted families need to speak loudly and clearly at that meeting on how important Catharpin Park is to our kids.

Then, on August 7th, the Board of County Supervisors will vote on how to spend as much as $40 million in "carry over" funds that account for unanticipated increases in revenues to the County and excess funds not spent in FY 2012.

Catharpin Park can be funded.  Catharpin Park needs to be funded at that meeting.

Sign the petition to tell the Board of County Supervisors to:

STOP THE POLITICS AT THE DOOR 
FUND CATHARPIN PARK NOW!

This petition will be presented to the Board of County Supervisors at the July 17th Board meeting at 7:30 pm. 

We need every impacted family, and your neighbors and friends (even if they do not have kids themselves who are impacted) to sign this petition to tell the Prince William Board of County Supervisors to "STOP THE POLITICS AT THE DOOR:  FUND CATHARPIN PARK NOW!