Cobras Complex proposal headed to the Parma board

Despite an aggressive defense that has been played by the Concerned Citizens of Hilton-Parma (CCHP), Bernie Iacovangelo is going to take his best shot at building a youth soccer complex.

Iacovangelo, of the Greece Cobras soccer club, said he will submit a proposal to the Parma Town Board that will call for the creation of 25 soccer fields on a 121-acre parcel that the club owns on the corner of Parma Center Road and Bailey Road. In addition to the fields, there would be one building to act as a meeting place, restrooms, parking area and concessions. Iacovangelo said only the building would be lighted.

He plans to officially submit the proposal within the next 45 days.

The unofficial presentation of Iacovangelo's proposed site, at the Parma VFW on April 11, drew about 100 concerned residents. Following the meeting, Iacovangelo has been reviewing the proposal to make sure he can respond to any questions.

"I can address every one of the legitimate concerns addressed at the meeting," Iacovangelo said.

While he has been working on the proposal, members of CCHP have been mobilizing a campaign to block the soccer complex. More than 180 signs opposing the complex dot the Parma landscape. Led by Chris Foote, of Parma Center Road, the group is working to get the word out. In addition to the signs scattered throughout Parma, the group has started a website (www.noparmasoccercomplex.com), raised funds, met with town organizations and associations, sought legal counsel, circulated a petition, and advertised.

Their campaign targets several concerns including traffic, noise, future development and the lack of public access to the fields. The fields will be owned and operated by the Greece Cobras Soccer Club for use by the Greece Cobras.

Iacovangelo said he is prepared to address every concern except for the group's assertion that the complex doesn't benefit Parma and Hilton youth.

"It is a sad day in our discussion of this project when individuals are now becoming segregationalists over the benefits of youth soccer," Iacovangelo said. "It doesn't matter who is using the fields. It is for the youth."

Iacovangelo pointed to the high percentage of Hilton students who live in Greece and the number of Cobras who live in Hilton and neighboring communities. He said the Cobras are being treated differently than any other organization that would use the land.

"Do you think if a new restaurant opened up in Hilton it would only feed Hilton people?" asked Iacovangelo. "It is against every concept in America."

For Shari Freeman-Studley, of CCHP, the Cobras Complex goes against everything she knows about her hometown. Freeman-Studley spent her childhood on Butcher Road. The CCHP weekly meetings are held in her parents' (Norman and Beverly Freeman) barn.

She is helping the group by volunteering as the webmaster. The site posts updates on the group's progress, material on the complex and similar projects, surveys and a form to order a lawn sign (now just shy of 190 placed in yards) or be placed on the email list.

"People are calling every day asking 'Hey, what can I do?' " Freeman-Studley said. Right now the group is rolling out its petition drive, hoping to secure between 3,000 and 4,000 signatures.

"I welcome change, it is inevitable. But for a community like Hilton-Parma, it needs to be well thought out. This complex does not belong in a rural community, in a residential area," said Freeman-Studley. "I think that our town leaders should take a long, hard look at Parma's Master Plan, the Advisory Committee's requirements for a soccer complex and the community as a whole. What will this bring for all residents of Parma, now and in the future?"

A full-page ad that ran in last week's Suburban News (North and South editions) funded by CCHP claimed that the ad was unanimously endorsed by the Hilton-Parma Soccer Club Board of Directors (Hilton Heat Travel Soccer). Iacovangelo said he is currently talking with the leadership of the Hilton Heat, and other youth clubs, about sharing some of the field space.

Iacovangelo said a benefit to the Town of Parma, should the complex be built, is that the town wouldn't have to add more fields to accommodate the increasing number of youth playing recreation and travel soccer.

As for traffic, Iacovangelo said Parma Center Road is a good location for a complex of this magnitude. As a road that permits 55 mph traffic it is maintained by New York State to provide safe travel, he said.

"That location is a perfect location for something like this," Iacovangelo said.

Many of those who live near the proposed site couldn't disagree more. Don Mellema moved to Parma to enjoy a quieter setting. He is worried that this project will disrupt his peace and quiet.

"I don't believe that they can handle the traffic," Mellema said.

For Beverly Freeman, whose property would border the complex, the idea of being located next to 25 soccer fields is too much to handle.

"It blew our minds when we heard about the plan," Freeman said.

Iacovangelo said he understands and appreciates the concerns being raised by those who live nearby. However, he believes the soccer complex is one of the best possibilities for the land.

"Soccer fields fall within the spirit and intent of maintaining that space as open space," Iacovangelo said, adding that six months out of the year the lot will be empty.

A dream come true?

Iacovangelo said on any given night, during the soccer season, the Cobras can be found practicing and playing on any one of six different sites. The variation of location causes headaches for the organization and its families.

There is a letter on the Greece Cobras website at www.greececobras.org from Mike Balducci, a founding member, that expresses the club's desire for a unified meeting place. It states, in part:

"One goal of the Greece Cobra Soccer Club is to provide a facility where the youth of our area can gather to participate in healthy, family oriented activities including soccer games and other recreational programs ... We want more for our families. The dream of the founding fathers of this club has yet to be realized, but we continue to explore options to make it a reality."

Previous attempts

There have been previous attempts to construct soccer parks in this area. Previously a proposal to build 22 fields with the entrance to the park on Manitou Road was shot down. The complex would have bordered Greece Canal Park and Erie Canal and flanked the towns of Ogden, Parma and Greece.

There was also a call to develop 24 fields on 125 acres of land along Union Street, across from Black Creek Park in Chili.

Both proposals drew strong negative responses from local residents and never came to fruition. Members of CCHP are drawing many similarities between these failed projects and the current proposal. Iacovangelo disagrees. He said the current project is not a commercial venture, or a county project, and shouldn't be confused with the previous projects.

What's next?

Along with the rising summertime temperature, the heat will be turned up on the complex controversy in the next two months. CCHP members continue to meet faithfully Mondays at 7 p.m. at Freeman's barn at 96 Butcher Road. The meetings are open to anyone who opposes the soccer complex.

Iacovangelo is finishing up revisions to the complex proposal to submit to the town within the next 45 days.

Rick Lemcke, Parma supervisor, said the review process will begin once the proposal is submitted. That process will include a public hearing.

"Depending on their final proposal, it could be a special permitted use," Lemcke said. "We can't do a zoning change because that would be considered spot zoning. There are several permitted uses that this might fall under," Lemcke said.

June 4, 2006