NEWMAN – Participation fees for youth basketball and soccer will be increasing next year so the city’s Recreation Department can keep pace with the cost of providing the popular programs.

The City Council last week approved a new recreation fee schedule which hikes the base registration fee from $40 to $50 for those sports beginning with the 2009 seasons.

The fee schedule also establishes a $30 fee for next summer’s “Fit Kids” program, a new offering this year that has been very popular.

“That comes down to about a dollar per session,” Recreation Director Terri Heiberger noted.

Fees for summertime soccer, basketball and volleyball camp will remain unchanged at $30.

Tardy registrants will also be paying more for the privilege of signing up after the deadline, as the late sign-up fee has been increased from $5 to $10.

Heiberger said she hopes the higher fee gives families a greater incentive to enroll their children before the registration deadline, which in turn helps organizers plan accordingly for an upcoming season.

“Right now, about 50 percent of our registration comes in late,” Heiberger pointed out. “(Timely registration) helps us out, because we know how many coaches we need and how many uniforms to order.”

Families with more than one child participating in a sport do get a break on soccer and basketball fees. Registration for the first child from a family will be $50; additional siblings may register for $45.

The program will still assess a $10 fee for participants from outside the Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District.

The increases will allow the recreation programs to cover increasing costs.

For example, Heiberger pointed out, she has been advised that basketball uniform costs in the fall catalog will increase 40 percent.

“Uniforms and the labor costs for the referees are the biggest expenses for our soccer and basketball programs,” she commented.

Even with the increases, Heiberger said, recreation fees in Newman are lower than those in many surrounding communities.

The fee increases are the first since 2003.

Handicapped parking space

Council members also discussed the possibility of adding an on-street handicapped parking stall in front of Dr. Manuel Canga’s medical practice at 1248 Main Street.

Council member Ed Katen had asked that the city consider the matter.

“I just didn’t find that our streets were handicapped-friendly,” he commented. “It is not easy access into that doctor’s office. I feel that we should somehow make it easier for patients, especially the elderly, to get in and out of that office.”

Another medical practice in the 1300 block of Main Street is accessible from a dedicated parking spot in the city lot and nearby crosswalk, Katen noted, but no easy handicapped access exists for patients entering Canga’s building.

City officials expressed concern about setting a precedent that could lead to others seeking on-street handicapped parking spaces.

“I agree that we need more handicapped accessible areas, but I also agree that if we do it here somebody else is going to ask for the same thing,” council member Mike Crinklaw pointed out.

The ideal access, staff members pointed out, would be from a privately-owned lot near the building rather than from a dedicated parking spot on Main Street. City officials will meet with Canga to explore those options, possibly as a joint project.

Sidewalk project approved

The council also approved an $81,562 contract to install sidewalks on the south side of Kern Street and Driskell Avenue from M Street to Eucalyptus Avenue.