06/03/2026
The actions and statements made by the current Village of Kingston Council and its administration strongly suggest an effort to remove Kingston Youth League from the Kingston Parks.
For decades, the established and consistent precedent for all youth leagues using these facilities has been straightforward: a $200 rental fee and payment of any electric overages related to concessions and field lighting. This arrangement has been honored by every previous Village Administration and all Youth league’s that have utilized the fields for decades.
The Village of Kingston is now attempting to impose a dramatically different set of requirements, including:
- Payment of the full electric bill, not just overages.
- A $50 per‑month, per‑building storage fee outside of contract dates—amounting to $150 per month during the off‑season.
- Payment of the full water and sewer bill, despite the Village not knowing the meter’s location until Kingston Youth League identified it, and despite the Village never having paid this bill for the park in the past.
- A $50 trash‑pickup fee per instance, applied to any trash collected anywhere in the park, not just within our contracted areas.
- Responsibility for all repairs and maintenance to all structures, including damage not caused by the league.
- A prohibition on fundraising activities at the park without prior Village approval.
- Charges for any utilities used outside of contracted times.
As I have communicated to the Village, these changes would financially cripple Kingston Youth League and are entirely unacceptable. I have submitted proposed revisions and asked for clarification on each of these new provisions. Instead of responding, the Village repeatedly sent the same unaltered contract back for signature, without explanation. As written, the contract appears to be a deliberate attempt to force Kingston Youth League out of the Village Park.
Over the past five years, Kingston Youth League has invested significant time and financial resources into improving the park. These improvements include the construction of a new shelter house, a complete renovation of the concession stand to bring it up to code, installation of a new scoreboard, full replacement of field drainage and field topper, repainting of buildings, and numerous other upgrades. The Village contributed no funding to any of these improvements. Our progress has been made possible through grants, donors, and generous community sponsors.
In contrast, the Kingston Pickleball League received more than $3,000 from the Village for court painting/improvements and then proceeded to lock the courts, restricting public access. This disparity raises serious concerns about the Village Council’s priorities.
Kingston Youth League—and the Kingston Soccer League—are the only organizations that consistently bring substantial foot traffic and commerce into the Village. On a typical Saturday during our season, 500 to more than 1,000 people come into Kingston. Weeknight games bring 150 to 500 visitors. Removing us from the park would significantly reduce local business activity and harm the economic vitality of the community.
Despite all of this, the Village has made minimal investment in the park over the past decade or longer. Aside from a few grants used to purchase benches, refurbish the basketball courts, and install the wooden playground structure, the Village has contributed little to maintaining existing facilities. The Crow’s Nest, for example, has a failing roof that leaks into electrical boxes, rotting beams, and extensive structural decay—yet the Village wants to charge us $50 per month for storage in this unsafe building and require us to repair it. Notably, all of the buildings the Village wants to charge us for were originally built by previous Youth Baseball Leagues using their own funds—not Village funds.
I am writing to respectfully urge you to encourage the Village Council to return to the long‑standing, reasonable contract structure that has served this community for decades. Our children deserve better. Our community deserves better. Our local businesses deserve better.
Our League meeting will be held in the Park Sunday June 7th at 6pm. The next Village council meeting I believe is on June 9th at 6pm in the building behind Kingston National Bank.
Thank you,
Don Clever
KYL President
