EP United, parents say town denied field permits and added fees; council schedules May 1 follow-up

Members and parents of EP United Soccer Club told the Elmwood Park mayor and council on April 17 that the club was denied a permit to use local recreation fields and was being charged a new fee tier for field use.

Rafael Ceballos, identified in the meeting as EP United's president, said the club has been a local feeder program since 2010 and that "we were told that now our tier is a different tier and that we had to pay a hundred miles an hour to use the field" (sic). Vice president Jose Meneses told the council the club provided proof of residency for players when asked but was still denied access. "We feel that we are being targeted and discriminated against," Meneses said.

Parents in the audience also spoke about the impact on children and family members who want to watch hometown games. Tess Toro, a parent, said her children "enjoy participating in the town's activities" and asked why families would now have to travel to other towns to see their children play.

Council members said they heard the concerns and pledged a follow-up. Councilwoman Lorraine Pellegrino (referred to in the meeting as Councilwoman Pellegrino/Pellegreen) told speakers: "We heard you all. . . . Our rec director will be there. We are gonna try to work together to solve this problem." The council invited EP United representatives and parents to return on May 1 so the recreation department could address permit tiers and residency documentation.

The recreation director was not present at the April 17 meeting; no final administrative decision was recorded. The council instructed staff to place the item on the May 1 agenda and requested that the recreation director attend to answer questions about permit tiers, residency verification and any fees for field use.