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February 22, 2015- Letter to the Editor by Craig Carton
It’s business as usual with Battery Park.
By way of introduction, I started a Downtown youth sports group nearly three years ago with the goal of offering the Downtown community a multi-sport travel program for those kids who wanted a little more competition. They get the experience of being taught by pros and playing in really cool stadiums.
We have offered flag football (free of charge) this winter, travel soccer, in-house basketball leagues at Basketball City (the finest indoor hoops in NYC), and travel baseball in which a number of former pros helped coach.
With the recent contract between Downtown Little League and Battery Park that had given DLL a complete monopoly on field space, much like Downtown Soccer enjoys in the Fall, I applied on behalf of our group and the hundreds of downtown families that participate with us.
I was contacted by Battery Park City Authority officials and offered three hours on one field every Thursday night from March 5th through May 7th. When you take into account that there are really two fields, there are at least 100 hours a week that should be divided amongst all the groups who apply for permits. The Spring permit goes to June 30th, and not May 7th.
I explained to the BPCA that it would set a bad precedent if I accepted a Spring permit for a duration of time less than what is appropriate and what DLL enjoys. It was bad enough to be offered three hours from 6-9 PM, but a real slap in the face to then be offered a shortened permit.
When I told them that I wanted the whole permit, they reacted by denying my group any permit at all.
I invest a considerable amount of time and personal resources to our kids and will continue to do so knowing the reality that the corruption, conniving, and scheming ways of the BPCA and those who enjoy Most Favored Nation Status hasn’t changed.
It’s too bad, because all of our kids deserve better.
Craig Carton,
Boomer & Carton sports radio show, CBS Radio