Lynn officials review concessions proposal

LYNN – For the second straight night, patrons at Manning Field had no concession stand Wednesday as they watched the two boys games in the Lynn City Soccer Tournament.And it doesn?t look as if the stand will be open tonight either when the Lynn Classical football team hosts East Longmeadow in the season?s opener.Principals and athletic directors were just dissecting the four-page license agreement the city put together for all of the various groups that use the stand Wednesday and Classical boosters officials weren?t optimistic that they?d be able to get anything together in time for tonight?s game.?What everyone?s trying to do,” said St. Mary?s athletic director Jeff Newhall, “is just get through this weekend. It?s a busy weekend here and we just want to do the best we can to get through it.”St. Mary?s is the host school for the soccer tournament. And even though it is a private school, St. Mary?s worked under the same agreement as the public schools and the two Lynn Pop Warner teams. Boosters clubs ran the stand when their respective teams played and the proceeds went back into the program.Last month, Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy sought to change that arrangement, first by awarding a private contract for the stand and then – after the request was tabled by the City Council – devising an agreement between the city and the organizations, calling for, among other things, a 50-50 split of revenues derived.?It makes a difference,” said Newhall. “If you?re counting on that money to help run your program, it just means that you?re going to have to do some other fundraising to make up for it.?But,” he said, “it?s awfully tough to do that when you?re hit with this just as you?re going into the season.”The highlights of the licensing agreement – which all organizations have to sign – are:u Groups are responsible for bringing in their own food and equipment for each game and removing it from the premises afterward.u No one who works for the city can be involved in running the stand.u Groups will be reimbursed for operating expenses, with the rest of the proceeds being split down the middle, with the city getting half.u The groups have been asked to submit bi-weekly financial breakdowns of receipts and expenditures, with the city reserving the right to inspect all records.The licensing agreement even set prices to the food to be sold and prohibits groups from selling gum, sunflower seeds, or Skittles candy.The agreement will be discussed at Tuesday?s meeting, at City Hall (Room 402) at 4 p.m.?There is no question that we need to have a reliable funding source for the maintenance and capital needs of what is considered to be one of the best municipal sports facilities in New England,” Ward 5 councilor Brendan Crighton said. “But I do not believe the commission can come to a responsible decision without first hearing from all the stakeholders and fully examining what financial benefits concessions privatization will actually produce. In the meantime, I think we owe it to the students and families to immediately find a temporary solution that does not have further negative impacts on the 2011 Fall season.”?The Stadium Commission was a bit quick to make changes without some mechanism in place to make sure the booster and other youth organizations were not adversely impacted which is how it stands now,” Ward 1 councilor Wayne Lozzi said. “We need to really look at this and come up with something that will not penalize them.”