Selectmen approved the use of of the Hines and Lopes parking fields without a fee by the Onset Cape Verdean Festival Association for their August 9 festival. They also discussed suspending their policy -to not provide parking at Hines or Lopes field without a fee- for the rest of the season.

Onset Cape Verdean Festival Association Event Coordinator Mike Roderick said for the festival, the association would park 500 cars at Hines and Lopes field, the lots need to be manned by three people at each site for eight hours. He said different volunteer groups have manned the parking lots in the past, and of the $5,000 they make from charging parking, half goes to the group that manned the lot. $1,300 goes to shuttle buses , $200 in supplies for the lots and the final $1,000 goes to the OCVFA.

"We feel that $1,000 is well earned and we would like to to keep it," he said.

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan said the fee he initially proposed for the use of the lots, because of the Selectman policy, was $1,000.

But Selectman Patrick Tropeano said it wasn't fair that the Escape the Cape triathlon was given free use of Lopes field last week and the Beach and Tourism Committee recently was approved for free weekend parking at Hines Field, but the OCVFA would be made to pay to use the lots. He said the board needed to stay consistent with violating its own policy for the season.

"Next year we're going to have to stick to the policy… the town is struggling," he said. "I think at some point we need to have kiosks [at Hines and Lopes]."

The Selectmen voted 4-1 to allow the association to use the lots without a fee with Selectman Judith Whiteside dissenting. She said she didn't find the $1,000 fee is unreasonable.

"We're in dire financial straits here to keep giving stuff away for free," said Selectman Stephen Holmes.