The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 at a meeting Tuesday, March 18 to establish a permitting procedure for anyone wishing to use the ball fields at Acreage Community Park North.
It came as part of a package of changes to the district’s Parks & Recreation Policy recommended by staff.
ITID President Elizabeth Accomando, who voted with Supervisor Betty Argue and Supervisor Michael Johnson to support the change, pointed out that the “day pass” will be free and available online and will involve only the playing fields at Acreage Community Park North.
“You’ll be able to do it from your [cell] phone,” ITID Parks & Recreation Director Kenneth Lawrence said on Wednesday.
No permit will be necessary to access the park itself, or for individual, family or small group athletic use at Acreage Community Park South or ITID’s nine other parks.
The change was requested to protect the fields from overuse and to avoid possible confrontations between park staff and non-permitted individuals or groups trying to use the facilities, ITID Executive Director Burgess Hanson said.
Acreage Community Park North underwent a 10-month, $850,000 renovation before reopening in March 2023. It has three football fields and four baseball/softball fields.
“I’m not down with a permitted-use-only facility,” said Supervisor Richard Vassalotti, who joined with Supervisor Patricia Farrell in voting against the idea. “As I’ve said before, this is Acreage Community Park, not Acreage Permit Park, not Acreage Athletic League Park.”
The Acreage Athletic League is the longtime youth sports provider for the area that now operates under a nonprofit athletic user agreement with ITID. As such, it has priority scheduling for all fields.
Vassalotti suggested that three of the four baseball/softball fields be set aside for use by the AAL or other organized sports teams or leagues, while one is reserved for casual play, such as a father wanting to toss a baseball with his son, friends wanting to “shag flies” together or toss a football around.
Aside from excessive wear on the fields, Hanson said having un-permitted fields puts park staff in an untenable position trying to determine who is merely a dad, his son and few pals, and who is there taking advantage of the open-field policy to practice a team — perhaps one not even from the Acreage/Loxahatchee area.
Such situations can escalate in serious, even violent confrontations, Hanson said.
“These fields are gold,” he explained, “and people from other cities will be coming here because they’re kicked out of Palm Beach Gardens, Delray [Beach], Boca [Raton] and unincorporated Palm Beach County parks.”
All public comment, both in person and via e-mail, was opposed to the permit requirement.
The comments of ITID resident Jessica Bonville were typical.
“It is absolutely ridiculous that you think a permit is needed for kids to play at a community park that our tax money goes to already,” Bonville told the board. “Let kids be kids.”
Resident Lauren Gardner wrote in an e-mail, “In a time of [computer] screens, technology and continued development in our area, we are in need now, more than ever, for more parks and outdoor places for young people and families to go and spend time together and enjoy sports and the outdoors.”
Lawrence noted that the proposed policy is similar to that of other area municipalities.
Accomando supported the idea.
“It’s not that people aren’t going to be able to go and use the park,” Accomando said. “It’s just that these are pricy fields we’re trying to protect.”
Farrell was unconvinced, telling staff, “If a kid just wants to go play baseball… you’re not giving me a clear path to allow that to happen… As is, I just can’t back this now.”
