Speaking of Lacrosse, when will District 99 recognize, like other top area suburban schools, that successful participation in Lacrosse and Water Polo can be a big plus at college application time. We are told the District's finances and programs are in good shape, but I'm not sure that claim really stands up to close examination relative to Naperville, Lyons, Sandburg, etc.

I do not understand why Mr. Lemke has a problem with the Park District Lacrosse Program. Seems that the Roadrunner Group and other groups have also been supplied with various parks that they can utilize. How many time during the year does Roadrunners use one on the Downers Grove parks? How many times does the Lacrosse team use the parks?

Lacrosse is probably one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Mr. Lemke, of all people, should be supporting another sporting activity for Downers Grove and taking a broader view of the community needs (same could be said of Commissioner Cathy Mahoney).

Why would Mr. Lemke be calling for the termination of the Park District relationship with the Lacrosse Team? Is he worried that certain athletes might be attracted away from Roadrunners? Is he concerned that the Roadrunner players will not get enough "park time"? Is he too close to one sport?

We are a large enough community to support a wide variety of sports in our parks. The diversity of programs is what makes us a great community. We need people to think in broader terms - not just their own little world.

I'm not clear about the issue at hand. As I understand the article, the lacrosse club is a park district club, as stated in the first paragraph referring to "A new Downers Grove Park District-sponsored lacrosse club."

Later in the article, it is stated that "MOU groups are third in line to use park district facilities, after park district programs and District 99 programs." If the lacrosse club, as a park district program, is "first in line" and the soccer club, as an MOU, is "third in line", how can the private soccer club complain?

And why would it be an "insult" to consider the lacrosse team a park district program?

I feel like there's something missing in this story...

"If you build it they will come" Roadrunners seems to operate under the assumption that the turf field was built for them.

Good point Patricia. That is our field, the tax payers paid for it. The field should be open to any organized group who wants to use it. That field needs to generate revenue any way possible. In theory...Once North and South have the new turf fields the use of Doerhofer will go down.

MOU groups are third in line to use park district facilities, after park district programs and District 99 programs.

There should not be to much of a problem, since the PArk District, in some power play, has denied use of Doerhofer turf field to District 99 for over a year now.

First of all, let me say this, it is my belief that it is the Park District board members responsibility to generate revenue from the use of its facilities. With that being said, the agreement that the PD entered into with Lacrosse America should have been an MOU from the beginning.

The Roadrunners have had a 20 year MOU with the Park District. With 400 participants, the soccer club needs and pays for the use of every bit of space and every field that the Park District offers. Typically, the Roadrunners work with the Park District to schedule use of the fields in the spring well ahead of the season starting. This process was done this year. Then very abruptly, two weeks before 400 soccer players take to the fields for spring practice, the field schedule was changed to accomodate the lacrosse players.

Doerhoffer for our club is important for a number of reasons, all of which are obvious. The lights, which allow us to practice later, and the turf which can be played on if the park district closes the grass fields.

I feel that the Park District should have adhered to the MOU with the Roadrunners and that the way Roadrunners was notified of the field schedules changes was inappropriate. The communication was almost non existent.

The Roadrunners pay the Park District for the use of the fields also.

Denise McCann
Roadrunner soccer mom

I do not agree that the Park District has a responsiblity to generate revenue from the use of its to the facilities. I was very pleased and surprised to find the the turf field was open to the community. (I expected that it would be kept locked). My son and his friends have spent lots of time up there since it was completed playing football for fun. It was always fun to watch when there were several groups uo there how they would share the space and just have a good time throwing the ball around. I was very happy anyone could use it (when it was not in use for a scheduled event) to play on. We did after all, as taxpayers, pay for it.

I nor my kids are in no way affiliated with Roadrunners nor Lacrosse so I am pretty unbiased here.

The way I read this article, I was a little confused about what this Lacrosse program is so I Googled it. The website is www.dglacrosse.com
It appears that this Lacrosse club is the same type of club as the roadrunners or any other private club that then rents out fields for practice and for games. To say that this lacrosse team is part of the park district is just plain wrong. As it does appear that DG Lacrosse is the same type of organization, they should bid for field use in the same MOU manner as other clubs. It appears that the park board agrees and that in the future, the Lacrosse club will have to use the same rules as Roadrunners, DOLLS or Panthers. How did they get preferential treatment and why did the board have to step in??

N is just plain starting trouble with his little shots at Roadrunners and Lemke paying more money. As Road Runners are little kids and Lacrosse is big kids with bigger cleats that dig into the turf more should they pay more?? Lots of ways to argue a dumb argument. Lemke is representing the organization he leads, and is correct to object to Lacrosse not being in the proper bidding process.

Roadrunners is not little kids, they have high school age teams in addition to younger kids.