North Stafford, Va. – It may be cold outside but it doesn’t mean the fields at Smith Lake Park will be used less.
The park in North Stafford has two popular synthetic turf fields primarily used by the Stafford Area Soccer Association, one with field lights and one without. Recently, the association during winter months used the fields less often, partially because of the season change, but also because they had to pay the same field use fees, Stafford parks officials said.
That all changed when the Stafford Board of Supervisors on Nov. 15 moved to lower the fees charged to use the fees during the winter months. Between November and February, Stafford County residents will now be charged $65 per hour to use the field with lights, down from $100 per hour, and $35 per hour for the field without lights, down from $70 per hour.
Additionally, for the first time, the parks authority is allowed to charge a new fee for non-county residents to use the fields. Outside residents will pay $200 per hour for use of the lighted field and $140 per hour for the non-lit field, with those rates in effect all year long.
The park authority expects to generate $12,000 in additional revenue due to the fee changes, according to parks and recreation administrator Christopher Hoppe.
Officials established the rates for the fields in 2009, and since then demand for use of the fields has only gone up.
Smith Lake Park is one of 11 parks managed by the Stafford County Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities.
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