The committee of the whole on Thursday signaled support for repeating this year’s cricket field rental program in 2026 and asked staff to prepare a post‑season report and negotiate renewals with the current organizers.

Director of Leisure Services Keith Knautz told the committee that cricket activity, which began July 17, had generated more than $37,000 in rental fees to date and that additional tournament bookings could add roughly $3,500 more.

"From a rental standpoint, to date, we brought in over $37,000 in rental fees, and that's just since July 17," Knautz said.

Village Administrator Doug Flint summarized the operational next step: "If the board direction is to, from what I'm hearing, keep things the same as this year for 2026, And Keith will reach out to the contractors that are under contract today, 3 of them, and see if they wanna renew for next year and take it from there." The committee instructed staff to return with a report covering revenue, maintenance impacts and recommended pricing before finalizing any longer-term agreements.

Several trustees noted the experiment’s success and urged making decisions earlier in the off-season so teams can plan equipment and travel. Trustee Light and Trustee Smith both voiced support for continuing the program while asking for a more detailed maintenance and revenue analysis.

At public comment, a resident, identified as Mister Epstein of Club Drive, objected to holding contract discussions not expressly noticed on the committee agenda and urged the village to consider full‑season field contracts rather than short-term rentals.

Next steps: staff will compile a post‑season report that includes total season revenue, estimated additional maintenance costs, and recommended terms for 2026, then return to the board with a proposal and any recommended contract renewals.

Meeting evidence: the cricket discussion began when a trustee asked for a late report on the season, Keith Knautz provided rental revenue figures, and staff confirmed the next procedural steps to contact contractors and prepare a report.