South River council not ready to hand over land to non-profit just yet

By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Olivia Bradbury

Not-for-profit group Aspire Recreation is once again asking the Town of South River for support, this time for land to possibly build a recreation complex.

The group’s co-founder, Ryan Gates, made the pitch at a council meeting earlier this month. The land Gates is asking for is the location of the town’s old ballfield, which he said hasn’t been used in 20 or 25 years.

Gates said it’s difficult to find investors or funding for the complex, because his group doesn’t have land for it yet.

Gates showed council a video of him scouting out the old ball field. The dugout had caved in, and the wooden structures on the field were rotted. The area is so overgrown, Gates said, it took him and his companions an hour to get from the road to the ballfield.

Gates told council his group could take the place, which has fallen into disuse, and create something new to be enjoyed. To accentuate this point, Gates unpackaged a new softball, then took out an old one he had found at the ballfield, showing council the contrast between the two.

Gates said that, once they acquire land, Aspire Recreation will look into what kind and size of development is feasible, then try to at procure investors.

Gates has made a number of pitches to council over the past couple of years. Earlier this year, the Town joined Aspire Recreation’s Community Partners program.

This time around, Gates and the group’s head engineer Robert Rumbolt, gave a presentation detailing their team members, partners, and what they are looking to do as an organization.

Gates and Rumbolt showed council a diagram of a potential recreation complex with a pickup/dropoff area, offices, indoor sports courts, a kitchen, multi-purpose room, and walking track.

While councillors seemed to like the idea of a recreation complex, they expressed hesitation about giving the land to Aspire Recreation at this point. Gates and council agreed that if the land is eventually given to the not-for-profit, there will need to be a memorandum of understanding stating that ownership of it will revert to the Town of South River if the group does not use it. Councillor David Petten also pointed out that, if Aspire Recreation develops the land but dissolves in the future, the Town will not get the land back.

“I don’t want you guys to look at it as, ‘We’re giving Aspire land,’” said Gates. “I want you guys to look at it as, ‘We are investing in a multi-million-dollar project within our town.’”

Gates acknowledged the group could end up going under, but said he had never failed at anything in his life. “I don’t intend on starting in South River,” he added.

Deputy Mayor Melissa Hierlihy told Gates she would research the idea and return to council with some scenarios and options regarding the proposal.