STOKESDALE TOWN COUNCIL ...continued from p. 9 basketball programs combined bring in about $10,000 a year. Concession sales were the No. 1 revenue source for SP&R last year. Significant infrastructure upgrades were made in the last several years, Balmforth said, and more are planned for this summer. Responding to Foy’s question about how many baseball and softball games are played on the fields, he said there are two baseball and two softball games a night, five nights a week, and the season lasts about six months. With an average of 12 members on each baseball and softball team, Foy said that came to 96 kids playing five nights a week; factoring in parents, grandparents, siblings and others, that meant about 300 Stokesdale citizens – or roughly 5% of the town’s population – were on the ballfields at Stokesdale Community Park each night for six months.
All baseball and softball programs require lights. When learning SP&R’s program draws about 410 volunteers, council members said they were impressed, and Balmforth said before moving to the area he had never seen anything like the level of support the Stokesdale community shows for youth recreational programs. “I have always found that ballfield to be a nucleus of the community,” council member Tim Jones said, adding he appreciated hearing how the community comes together to maintain and operate Stokesdale Community Park. “My one reservation circles back to this being a one-time request. I don’t want parents or kids to make a beeline to this council when they need support…” Jones then asked Balmforth how much in corporate donations SP&R
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receives each year and he said about $5,000, with about the same amount coming from small, local businesses. “If we support this, it’s a big step for the Town of Stokesdale, based on our history. It’s a big chunk of money for this small town,” Jones said. “Everything goes back into the program, and it is a complete effort,” Balmforth responded. “The vast majority of our support comes from the folks here.” Councilman Jimmy Landreth said the ballpark had been a big part of his life growing up and he wanted to keep it separate from the town. He added that under normal circumstances he wouldn’t favor providing funds for the private park, especially if it meant taking money out of reserves. However, he acknowledged the town does have federal grant money, and Foy confirmed a $725,000 ARPA grant is available. Balmforth then presented the last three years of financial statements, which confirm SP&R has clean financial records and stability. “We want this to be a full partnership,” he told council members, saying the total cost of the upgrades is about $103,000, and so far one-fourth of it has been completed and paid for by SP&R. Council then discussed the possibility of Stokesdale Community Park ever being sold, and if that were to occur, whether the town could establish some sort of legal assurance that it would be reimbursed for whatever it may invest in the upgrades. Town Attorney Chuck Winfree confirmed there were legal options that could be put in place to protect the town’s investment. In 2021 the program was in jeopardy of folding, and Balmforth said the board has since worked hard to assure long-term financial sustainability. “There’s a stewardship that goes along with this, and long after we’re gone there has to be a succession plan in place with protections,” he agreed.
The Northwest Observer • Totally Eileen local Thiereysince spoke1996 next and said,
“The future of this town is the children. If we have COVID money, that’s from our federal taxes, so I don’t see it impinging on the town’s budget… Think of the kids who can benefit from this… To be saying this is going to be setting a precedent, who cares?”
BUDGET ORDINANCE Consideration of FY2023-24 Operating Budget. Thacker said changes to the draft budget had been made during each budget workshop, and she had made those changes on the working document on her laptop. She and the town clerk worked together on it, and she said when the budget was printed out, she closed her laptop and only later discovered the budget before the council at this meetng was not the correct, revised budget. “I apologize to the council and the citizens,” she said. Council members thanked Thacker for her admission. Foy then said that since the councl’s last budget workshop May 4, he had spoken with Town Clerk Dale Martin and she had expressed interest in stepping down as town clerk and focusing on codification of the town’s ordinances. “With Ms. Martin transitioning next year out of the town clerk role, her hours would be reduced, so the amount we budgeted would not be as much,” Foy said. “Also, in my opinion, I do not think we need the administrative assistant position, but I do see a need for another full-time deputy clerk. So, taking all this into account, I think council needs to relook at the budget because I don’t think it captures what we need to do from a staff perspective.”
As for SP&R’s request, Foy said he was in favor of using the town’s ARPA funds for park improvements. “This council has worked its tail off to get other improvements to