COMMUNITIES WORK FOR MORE PLAY SPACE.(Local)

Byline: Brad Kelly Staff writer

It was supposed to have satisfied the recreational needs of the fast-growing Saratoga County suburb of Clifton Park for 10 years.

But just two years after completion of the multimillion-dollar Clifton Common - an 80-acre park with 14 softball diamonds, nine soccer fields and an indoor skating rink - residents must compete for playing time.

In the Albany County bedroom community of Guilderland, some 80 residents have asked officials to ban Little League practice in a town park because the teams have pushed local kids off ball fields.

More and more Capital District families are turning to their neighborhood park for entertainment and exercise, and municipalities are spending millions of dollars to meet the demand.

In the past decade, dozens of parks have been built and old ones have been upgraded. As the demand for recreational facilities …