Park Commission OKs Additional $25K For Pine Banks Track Study

Melrose Park Commission officials voted unanimously on Monday night to provide the city with an additional $25,000 from the Mount Hood Enterprise Fund at City Hall's request, which will help fund a feasibility study regarding building a track and field facility at Pine Banks Park.

Park Commission Chairman Mike Interbartolo said the money is intended to be used on the feasibility study, although he said that he "can't dictate what the money will be used for." Pine Banks Park currently has six athletic fields used for baseball, softball, soccer, and field hockey.

Mayor Rob Dolan told Melrose Patch that the Board of Trustees of Pine Banks Park — which is a shared facility between Melrose and Malden — want to study building a regulation running track, which is a need for both communities, in addition to a synthetic turf field in the middle of the track and a softball complex, along with additional parking to support those new fields.

"If we do a track, you'd lose the (existing) softball field, so you'd have to build a new softball field and additional parking," Dolan said. "So we're asking (the Park Commission) to increase the PILOT payment to pay for a study on the cost to do these things."

A PILOT payment — PILOT standing for "payment in lieu of taxes" — is typically used to support government services such as the Melrose Police and Fire Departments that serve Mount Hood, but aren't supported by property taxes, since no taxes are paid on the public land. 

However, the Park Commission has approved additional PILOT payments to the city in the past for park-related expenses, such as in 2008, when the Commission approved a payment of $31,000 to the city to cover light installations at Morelli Field. The Mount Hood Enterprise Fund is generally used for studies or improvements to existing parks.

"Ultimately, they have spent the money the way we expected," Interbartolo said.

Park Commission member Bob Christiansen said the feasibility study at Pine Banks Park "gives us the chance to share the expense with Malden and the state. What we approve [to transfer to the city] cannot exceed that amount."

Interbartolo said the feasibility study for new athletic fields at Pine Banks Park should move forward, but said that "how the fields get funded is a big question for the future."

The state limits how much money the Park Commission can give to the city from the Mount Hood Enterprise Fund, which is a surplus of revenue collected from the golf course throughout the year, through PILOT payments each year based on the assessment formulas used to determine property taxes. In fiscal 2010, that limit was $144,708.

Earlier this year, the Park Commission issued a PILOT payment of just under $66,000 to the city. Combined with the $25,000 approved this week, the Park Commission has approved $91,000 in PILOT payments this year.

Melrose Patch Editor Daniel DeMaina contributed to this report.