06/26/92 Agenda & Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MEMO TO: MAYOR AND COUNCILMEMBERS FROM; MARY SAARION, DIRECTOR PARKS, RECREATION & FORESTRY • DATE: JUNE 3, 1992 SUBJECT: BALLFIELD USE Staff met to discuss field permits. I wanted to get a feel for any problems that we have detected regarding residents not having access to use of City ballfields. We have a pretty close relationship to coaches of all the leagues that we provide with field permits, because we see and talk to them on a weekly basis. A copy of the permit process is attached. This information is given to the organizations using ballfield facilities. The system has seemed to work well if the coaches call in advance for fields. This is to their benefit because then they can organize and confirm practices with their players and be assured of a field for practice. However, coaches which do not use the system appropriately will become very frustrated because fields will not be available unless they have the foresight to plan one week ahead. For instance, we have one MVAA coach (12-13 year old division) who calls requesting practice times the day of or the next day. By this time most of the fields have already been reserved by other coaches. Staff has numerously informed him of the necessity to call ahead for reservations because the process offers one week in advance reservations. Most coaches call and plan one week ahead. • Another problem is when coaches are inflexible with the times and dates that he or she can practice. If they request a field, which is not available, a second or third choice can most likely be accommodated if the coaches have the flexibility. This goes for all teams and leagues. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are wide open for practices, scrimmages etc. Also, daytime use of fields are wide open. It has been our experience that adult teams do not request practice times once their games begin (in late April or early May). From the middle of May to the end of the season, ballfield reservations are given mostly to youth teams and picnic reservations or tournaments. Finally, the 12-13 year old age is difficult to facilitate because they are longer ball hitters, requiring deeper fields than some of the neighborhood park fields. However, they do not use pitching mounds yet and therefore are not ready for using Greenfield baseball field. There are 6 teams which are made up of youth from Mounds View in the 12 year old and 13 year old travelling and in-house leagues. The fields that are appropriate for this age group include Edgewood #1, Edgewood #2, Pinewood #2, Lambert and Oakwood fields. These fields tend to be deeper, have bigger infields and do not have the pitching mound. There are additional fields available for use in New Brighton because these 6 • teams have a combination of both Mounds View and New Brighton residents. In all actuality there should be more than sufficient time available for field use for these teams under the regulations of permits, which states up to two practices per week, 1 1/2 hours in duration.