HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994-05-11 - Minutes•
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PRAB SPECIAL MEETING
YOUTH SPORTS
MAY 11, 1994
The meeting was called to order by Bill Waite at 4:00 pm in the
Parks Office in the Fayetteville Youth Center.
Members
Present:
Staff Present:
Guests Present:
DISCUSSION:
Waite:
Anderson:
Vaughn:
Waite:
Vaughn:
Edmonston
Anderson:
Kelly:
O'Brien:
Anderson:
Driver:
Waite:
Anderson:
Driver:
Bell, Driver, James, Kimbrough, Savage, Waite,
Wright
Clark, Cox, Edmonston
See attached
This will be the first of two or three meetings. The
first order of business is a field forecast. There have
been some changes since the Walker Park Expansion Master
Plan was approved. We have acquired the Lewis property.
This causes some questions on the plan for Walker Park.
I would like Bambino to discuss necessity of closing the
streets. It would be faster to leave streets open and
we will get some opposition to closing them.
I talked to Sid Norbash who is working on plans at Lewis.
At first, City said they will work on them in house. But
they have gotten behind due to manpower. Sid has
completed specifications to be bid out. We have $60,000
budgeted for this year. We might get three soccer in
this year. They should be playable by spring, maybe this
fall.
Spring season starts in March.
How many soccer fields now?
Eight.
:The short field was paid for by soccer and baseball for
a dual field.
It has not been used much for baseball.
A 200 field is adequate for 12 and under. Otherwise it
is not
We have some fields that are not safe. We practice
anywhere green and flat. My concern is wanting to do it
right from the inception not something that will be wrong
in six months. We also have summer camps for children so
it is almost year round. We turn down teams for
tournaments and players every year.
If we can get three fields that should satisfy for
awhile.
Right now it will probably be five fields. We can get
$75,000 released to us now. Parking in two places would
be included. We could put 50 parking places there.
We have to resolve the road issue.
Kids have to cross the street all the time. They get
hurt.
We can make the streets one way.
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Anderson:
Edmonston
Driver:
Savage:
Shankle:
Driver:
Shankle:
Anderson:
Savage:
Shankle:
Clark:
Waite:
Clark:
Waite•
Shankle:
Clark:
Clark:
Anderson:
Kelly:
PAGE 2
I like the idea to have the parking on the perimeter.
:13th Street has 80 spaces, Block street has 70 spaces,
Southeast lot has 53 spaces, South College has 23 spaces,
and there are 20 spaces on the grass. Naval Reserve has
93 spaces.
Woody Bassett has proposed to the Advertising and
Promotion Committee that they release funds for
recreation. They meet in June. Joe Fennel thinks
recreational facilities may not promote tourism. I see
Walker Park as not necessarily being the only place for
baseball. Combs has some good area. I have reservations
about tearing up the streets. I would like to fix the
traffic flow.
I heard they want to put a 13 year old field at Walker.
Babe Ruth is ages 13 through 18. We will probably turn
boy's away Saturday. Ages 16-18 is the fastest growing
segment in Babe Ruth. Right now we have two fields, but
we could use four fields for ages 13 through 18. We get
one two hour practice per week. I had an angered parent
that said I did not teach their son what to do in a
particular situation. You could never teach it all but
especially not in two hours. We play twice a week, and
have 272 boys. The fields are used 7 days a week from
April 1 to July 4th. This year we are hosting district
tournament and state until August 1 or 2. Concessions
pay for a big portion of our program.
There is no way to expand where you are.
No, the best would be a four field complex somewhere else
and make our fields available for another age group.
Adult leagues use our field as of August 1.
Could these be turned into three little girl's fields?
Is adult baseball in big enough demand?
If you had a four complex field, could adults still use
it after August 1?
Yes.
We could move west across the road and build two fields
together.
Could we get a four fields in Combs?
Probably.
Are there any objections to moving to Combs?
No, none what so ever.
At Combs you could expand within the vicinity of the full
80 acres.
It could be cheaper to buy land sometimes.
It looked like the fields at Combs would be flooded a
couple of times a year.
We originally planned 250 ft fields to play both. We
have turned away kids ages 9 through 11. We can crowd up
on T -ball and not really affect the teams. We are
starting earlier than we used to. After season starts we
practice one hour a week. Six year olds have nine teams,
but need more. If we had big fields we could shift them.
Savage:
Driver:
Wilson:
Campbell:
Waite:
Kelly:
Nottenkam
Clark;
PAGE 3
We played nine games when we started. Now T -ball plays
20. Some feel that is too many.
schools have soccer practice fields.
If you moved 13 year olds to Walker
sufficient?
No.
Thirteen year olds are playing on
Several elementary
major league size
fields now. There is some question of them going from
little league to major league size. We are trying to get
what we feel are appropriate size fields for certain age
children.
You're saying you
fields?
We have people on the waiting list for the 12 year olds.
mper:Girl's softball has 35 teams with over 400 girls We do
not have enough fields. Starting this year we can use
the big field at Asbell. We could have had more teams
but not enough fields. T -ball is scheduled for 9 games
on Saturday morning unless there are tournaments. Some
of the 10 and under play on Saturday because of lack of
space. I think a four field complex would be good. I
don't think they mind where they play as long as they
have a field. With big Asbell and one more we could
handle it. If soccer could all get at Lewis.
Soccer can't get all at Lewis.
We have 15 to 20 acres of level park land coming in on
Salem. Maybe this is the place for girl's softball.
How many more fields could we get in there if we took the
roads out as opposed to not taking the road out?
Probably four.
If we leave the street in, make it one way and parallel
parking. Our main goal seems to be games. I think
practice is very important to the kids.
You can't get better tourism for A & P. Soccer brings in
$250,000 for Fayetteville.
Exactly how many fields do you need at Asbell?
We have four at Asbell and three at Walker. We were
expecting Lewis to have five more fields. This design
gives us three fields.
Would it be legitimate that if you will have 5 more
fields, would you be willing to compromise fields at
Walker.
Kimbrough:How many does soccer need?
Waite- How many rec games are played at Walker?
Drew: The problem at Walker is we can't have rec games there
because of classic games. Rec and classic both practice
there.
Khamooshi:Soccer is a two hour game. Each team practices twice a
week. Each team uses a field 3 times a week.
Wilson: Fields at Walker are used all day Saturday and Sunday
afternoon.
could one field be
could barely make it with three more
Campbell:
Wright:
Edmonston:
O'Brien:
Campbell:
O'Brien:
Campbell:
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O'Brien:
Wilson:
O'Brien:
Driver:
Williams:
O'Brien:
Williams:
PAGE 4
At Walker we don't have lights which would extend our
season. We don't have bathrooms and concession. We drag
everything around. We are hoping for bathrooms and
lights at Lewis.
In microsoccer, we don't care about lines or nets. The
fields we have are not adequate, so we use church and
hospital lawns.
It is so scattered.
I don't think we need to determine between practice or
games. If they fedl they need more practices then that
is a need. If a child is using a field for a sport it is
a need.
I have been at Walker for six years. Year before last a
ten year old bambino team won the state championship
which was an honor to Fayetteville. I take my kids to
a cow pasture to practice. It is a shame that the City
cannot give to the kids since they can give back to the
City.
There are six soccer teams going to Nationals or
district.
Harrison has a beautiful complex. They raised one cent
sales tax for one year just for the complex. All sports
could be in one complex.
Soccer is the fastest growing sport in the Unites States.
You need to consider the trends when planning for the
future. There are 900 kids in soccer.
er:Don't forget girl's softball. We have been fighting
for years. It is time to let the girl's play too. We
went from 30 to 35 teams this year.
Lots of kids play dual sports. We need to help each
other and cooperate.
Youth Center Board says there needs to be more gyms and
facilities for kids. We have to get together and
organize to get what we need.
Khamooshi:
Nottenkamp
Wilson:
Clark:
The summary of what is needed for the next five years for
all youth sports includes a total of four fields for
girl's softball in one location, four fields for Babe
Ruth in one location possibly Combs Park, an additional
three fields for Bambino Baseball, and an additional six
fields for soccer.
PRAB Meeting:
MOTION: KIMBROUGH/WRIGHT
The PRAB recommends to the City Council to approve the
fourth draft of the Green Space Ordinance as approved by
the Planning Commission.
MOTION APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY 6-0.
PAGE 5
Edmonston: On the green space proposal, Planning changed it so that
99 units must still go through large scale.
Driver: It was said there could be a lawsuit on taking land.
What is the difference in money or land? Developers will
threaten suit to keep the language from being changed.
If it went to the Supreme Court, they would have to
outlaw every impact fee. As far as going to the
community, we need to wait. It is too piece meal for me
right now.
I did not know. I have money and fence donated. I
talked to Mayor Hanna about free labor for backstops.
People are asking why we are asking for money. What are
we doing with our budget money?
We are looking at a liability factor with the backstops.
I will look into it. I will visit baseball
Everyone I have talked to about fund raising is excited.
The same people are turning around and talking to the A
& P Commission.
They wanted our input on how to spend a sales tax
proposal. I say use this and put off fundraising.
I am talking about maintenance.
If we wait for a temporary sales tax to bail us out. We
could be in bad shape.
Springfield raised $800,000 through private fundraising.
Dallas raised it through a one cent sales tax. We have
to do something about our immediate needs.
I want the backstops fixed now. We are liable if anyone
gets hurt.
I think we need more control.
I don't think we should have any control. That is why we
have elected officials.
Ages 13 and up are the only ones that need 250 foot
fields.
Can we get a drawing for Walker as presently is and
proposed.
Give baseball permission to go in on this side of street
Wright:
Driver:
Wright:
Clark:
Wright:
Driver:
Bell:
Wright:
Waite:
Bell:
Wright:
Bell:
Kimbrough:
Waite:
Bell:
Driver:
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and build fields with 250 ft fields with funding come
from $75,000 with additional funds going to parking.
MOTION:JAMES/BELL
The PRAB gives baseball permission to build a baseball
field at Walker Park with funding to come from the
$75,000 for the sports complex and the additional funding
to go to parking.
MOTION APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY 6-0.
DISCUSSION:
Edmonston: I would like to explore
Baseball Association to
the specs.
Driver: I want to go ahead with
PAGE 6
that City sales tax money go to
do fields with our approval of
$75,000 this year and recommend
approval of construction of one baseball field. Dale
will site it. Also construct additional parking as far
as funding will go.
Edmonston:We had CIP money for parking lot.
The meeting adjourned 6:10 pm.
