Lewiston schedules public forum on use of athletic fields

After taking a shortcut through the Franklin Pasture Sports Complex Monday afternoon, several people hop the fence after encountering a locked gate. Days after Lewiston City Council passed a policy limiting turf field use to a fee-based, reservations-only model, the concession stand was broken into and vandalized. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — The city will host a community forum July 11 to address concerns after the Franklin Pasture Sports Complex concession stand was broken into and vandalized Friday evening.

The break-in happened just three days after the Lewiston City Council decided to close the turf fields to the public. The policy makes the Don Roux and Joe Deschenes Baseball fields and the Franklin track and tennis courts available by a fee-based, reservations-only model.

The forum will be geared toward ways to keep the fields open while also finding solutions to vandalism.

Lewiston Public Schools Athletic Director Jason Fuller said trash pickup has become a daily task and equipment damage costly to the district. The concession stand has suffered two other such break-ins. Fuller said while he and other administrators hate to close the fields, the community needs to realize they are not just an asset in the same way a public park is, but a complex that hosts a variety of athletic events for revenue.

The forum is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the Lewiston High School cafeteria.

A man walks around the Lewiston High School track as others play soccer in the background Monday afternoon in Lewiston. The turf fields, track and tennis courts are available by reservations only after a recent decision by Lewiston City Council. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal