Don't Kill Little League; Reopen Sports Park Negotiations

This is an open letter sent Tuesday to City Manager Gary Brown by Imperial Beach Little League President Don Spicer.

Dear Gary,

I am writing this letter to express my concern with the regarding the potential outsourcing of the Sports Park and Recreation Center complex to the YMCA.

Imperial Beach Little League’s understanding was that this workshop was being held to gather information from the citizens of this community; to engage in an interactive process with the members of the community and gather ideas aimed to resolve this problem.

That is not at all what happened.

Instead the City Manager and Assistant City Manager made a complete disgrace of themselves in front of the members of the community. Those community members thought they were there to have their ideas heard and play a constructive role in finding a solution to this problem.

Imperial Beach Little League has had several meetings with the City staff in regards to the Sports Park contract with our League and the YMCA. We have been told by several members of the City staff that the Sports Park Recreation department had been run poorly for many years. Little League’s response to that comment was “you the City staff have allowed this to happen”.

Now that the funding is gone, and rather than seek the public’s input, the City decided to engage in confidential talks with the YMCA to negotiate a back door deal and blindside the citizens of this community. The City never once reached out to the leagues or people that spend countless hours at this park making it what it is for the community today. 

Councilmember Patton stated “there is a lot of misinformation out there.” Well he is correct. The community was under the impression that the workshop would be a tool to resolve that. It did not. The leagues and the community feel now more than ever that the City is going to do whatever it wants.

The City staff has indicated that the Sports Park budget was approximately $257,000 a year. Then City Manager Gary Brown stated that the Sports Park budget was $200,000 and then $100,000, then lastly stating the budget was actually $150,000. A report generated by City staff showed the Sports Park actual budget to be $144,000. Why all of the discrepancies? What are you really trying to hide from the community? Are you trying to create an illusion of a budget crisis that may not even exist?

At one of the meetings with IBLL, Assistant City Manager Greg Wade informed the community that the City had lost its redevelopment funding and Mayor stated, “the City is looking to get out of the park business.” I thought that every city had a park or parks and that was a part of doing business as a city?

I understand that there are costs associated with running the parks, but there has been gross mismanagement of these costs by the City.

One issue is the cost of the field lights. One report stated that the annual cost was $15,000. In a workshop help on March, 14, it was noted that the field light reimbursement was $12,000. In the same report a City staff member indicated that by the City charging for the lights, it could generate $15,000 in revenue. Again, these numbers do not add up.

With that being the case, our League obtained an area readout from Musco Lighting that showed the cost for field lights from 1/1/12 to 3/6/13, for the use of the baseball fields to be $2,074.50. It was also given the cost for the softball fields to be $2,253.35. This does not include the aircraft warning lights, security lights, lights at the Recreation Center or the bathroom lights.

Neither of the leagues was able to obtain access to be able to turn the lights on or off, therefore at times lights were left on when the fields were not being used. A budget report for Sports Park SDG&E was $7,500. Again not even in reach of the $15,000 quoted in the City’s report. Again, what information is correct?

Councilwoman Lorie Bragg stated at the City Council meeting that “nothing was free anymore.” We could not agree more. That being said, over the past 56 years Imperial Beach Little League has contributed to the betterment of the Sports Park through donations, sponsors and with the volunteers from the community.

These volunteers not only donated their time, but on many occasions, their hard earned money for the betterment of the fields for the community.

I would like to give you a list of improvements made to the Park by the League and its volunteers. All of these items came with NO cost to the City.

• New backstops

• Shade coverings for the T-Ball and Cap fields

• Built the Minor fields; sprinkler systems, sod, dugouts, score booth, and surrounding fencing

• Repaired and painted dugouts on all fields

• Replaced grass with new sod on both Major and Minor fields

• Annually replaced infield dirt with Padre Gold

• Purchased and installed score boards on the Major and Minor fields

• Cleans and supplies the Minor bathroom

• Empty and reline all of the trash cans

• Maintain of the fields; including mowing the grass & all sprinkler systems

There are other leagues that pay a fee to use the fields. South Bay Little League pays a fee to use their fields, but they do no maintenance at all. The City provides all maintenance to their fields, but Little League is the only organization allowed to use the fields.

Another example is Southwest Little League: They pay a fee to the City of San Diego, and in turn the City provides all maintenance and the fields are exclusively used for Little League.

Both Imperial Beach Little League and Girls Softball have met with the Park Recreation staff and discussed how as a group working together we could contribute to the entire park. Ideas about having an IB Sports Park Day, barbecues, concerts, skateboard competitions, and baseball and softball games, all with a fundraising theme behind them to generate monies for the Sports Park.

These are all great ideas, yet the Recreation Director was told not to engage in conversations with the leagues. Why?

We all feel that if given the opportunity to work together, the Imperial Beach Sports Park can remain just that: A park designated for the community of Imperial Beach.

The City has also failed to invite Imperial Beach Little League or Girls Softball to any of the meetings regarding the Sports Park with the Boys & Girls Club or Calvary IB. We were only invited to the meetings with the YMCA. Has the City done its due diligence with the bidding process for the Sports Park?

On April 8, 2013, Mayor Jim Janney released a letter to the Imperial Beach community regarding the Sports Park. In the letter he stated that it was the City’s vision to expand the recreational opportunities to better serve people of all ages. He goes on to say that this would be done by contracting with the YMCA or the Boys & Girls Club.

The Mayor then proceeds to talk only about the programs offered by the YMCA, the costs to the leagues and the families, and how the leagues would submit their schedules to the YMCA.

The Mayor further states that the YMCA would manage the fields and all other facilities at the Sports Park. What happened to the Boys & Girls Club? By reading this one is lead to believe that the contract with the YMCA is a done deal and that the Boys & Girls Club’s name was mentioned to offset anger within the community. In addition during the City Council meeting on March 20 Councilwoman Bragg said “when the Y comes in”….then stopped her point. Has a decision already been made, has a vote been taken without the people knowing?

Almost every part of this process seems to have been handled in a way to keep information away from the leagues and the community. Both the Little League and the Girls Softball are committed to the members of this community. We have been serving them for over 50 years, and hope to for another 50. If the City allows the YMCA to come in and take over, it will only be a matter of time before that is all taken away.

The YMCA may be a nonprofit organization, but that can be left up to one’s interpretation. High salaries for the leaders, costly programs, expensive travels for executives really defines how the YMCA justifies being nonprofit.

We hope that the City can dig deep, look down every avenue and find whatever monies they can, and be partnering with the Little League and Girls Softball we can keep Sports Park where it belongs, in the community for the members of the community.

In regard to Sports Park we would ask this Council to re-direct City staff to re-open negotiations with Boys and Girls Club and the Calvary Church. In addition, City staff include in these negotiations Imperial Beach Little League and Imperial Beach Girls Softball, as was done with the YMCA.

We feel that this would be a more fair and transparent negotiation process rather than giving the appearance of a one sided deal. 

Respectfully,

Don Spicer

President, Imperial Beach Little League