GN: The following was sent to Parents of Lowell Youth Soccer

Subject: From: Lowell – LYSA- League Update (325998-318876)

Hello All -

We just wanted to make you aware of a letter that was submitted and will appear in tomorrow’s edition of The Lowell Sun as A Letter to the Editor. Some of you have raised the concern of bathrooms during the week. We have made arrangements to have a port-a-potty at the field for weekday practice sessions. It will be delivered this weekend. We want you to be aware that we are trying our best to look out for the league as well as our children both now and for the future.

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City government lets down soccer kids

The Lowell Youth Soccer Association is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that has run a top-notch soccer league for over 30 years for tens of thousands of Lowell kids.

In an effort to raise money to keep registration costs down and at the same time address a public-health issue, the LYSA paid for and built a concession stand (with private funds) at the soccer complex, that included four restrooms to accommodate the thousands of Lowellians that come to the field regularly.

As it stands now, we are forced to close the bathrooms during the week because the septic tank cannot handle the waste volume, which causes overflows of sewage in the public bathrooms.

Several years ago septic tanks were installed, due to the expense of running a separate sewer line and to save taxpayers money because of the planned construction of the new Walgreens at the Rourke Bridge on Middlesex Street. At that time, the plan was to extend the new sewer line to the bathrooms to save on costs.

At every public hearing and meeting on the project, the issue of extending a sewer line a short distance to the city’s six-acre soccer field to provide sewer service to the four bathrooms was always discussed. This sewer line extension was also something I raised at two on-site meetings with the Walgreens developer, Coffman Realty.

This condition was recommended by both the City Engineer and Wastewater as an infrastructure improvement that should be completed. It was also stated by Assistant City Manager Adam Baacke that this requirement would be addressed before the issuance of a building permit during the Site Plan Review process.

LYSA trusted the city would deliver on its statements.

Sadly, I recently learned that the city did not require the developer to construct this sewer-line extension.

According to the Development Services, a paperwork issue seemed to have slipped through the cracks and a “formal comment” requesting the sewer-line extension was not submitted by the City, to the developer.
We seem to have continual “paperwork” and “permit” issues in this city.

So the next time the septic tank overflows and backs up into the bathrooms, I will let the parents and thousands of taxpayers that come to enjoy a soccer match at the field that hooking up the sewer line to public bathrooms was a “wish list item” that the city didn’t think was important enough to mandate be included.

Walgreens’ corporate leaders should also be disheartened to learn that their developer, Mr. Coffman, didn’t think it was important enough to spend a few more dollars to be a good corporate neighbor for the kids of Lowell who have a great field to play on, but can’t use the bathrooms Monday through Friday because of the fear they may overflow. Those same people will undoubtedly be visiting their store during the soccer season.

Rodney Elliott
President
Lowell Youth Soccer Association