09/24/81 Agenda & Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MEMO TO: Mounds View City Council Mounds View Parks and Recreation Commission FROM: Bruce K. Anderson, Director. Parks , Recreation and Foreltry DATE: September 21 , 1981 RE: De Gross vs Mounds View Parks and Recreation Department Lawsuit. During the past two years I have had a "running battle" with Mr. Gary De Gross, 2756 Laport Drive, Mounds View, Minnesota 55432 relating to his conduct as a volunteerbaseball/softball coach. Our initial contact began during the 1980 soft- ball season when we received numerous complaints regarding his conduct as a volun- teer coach with our girls softball program. At that time we had a student intern from La Crosse, Wisconsin, Colleen Wilson , who umpired our girls softball games. Colleen often reported the problems of • abusive language and unsportsmanlike conduct. I phoned Mr. De Gross during the season to inform and warn him that we would not tolerate any continued unsportsman- like conduct. The season concluded on a bad note in 1980 whereby Mr. De Gross got into a verbal shouting match with a young Shorevew Coach , Janet Claussen. Following that altercation, staff sent a letter dated August 13, 1981 to Mr. De Gross indicating that our department would not consider him as a volunteer coach in our program until he could abide by our policies. His response was extremely negative and quite vulgar. The 1981 season begain with a verbal contact from Rhonda De Gross indicating that her husband desired to coach in our program in 1981 . I indicated to her that we would not accept her husbands list of team members and followed it up with the letter dated April 2, 1981. Once again his response was extremely negative and unpleasant with his final indication being that Jon Blackstone would be coaching the team. I followed up with a third letter dated April 21, 1981 to Jon Blackstone, copied to Mr. De Gross outlining our program. •