Parks Board approves 2025 Community Park agreement with Fall Creek Baseball, presses league for leadership and written improvement plan

The City of Lawrence Parks Board on March (date not specified) approved a 2025 Community Park usage agreement with Fall Creek Baseball & Softball while pressing the league to clarify who will be held accountable for facility upkeep and to provide financial statements and an improvement plan.

The board’s motion to “enter into the 2025 agreement with Fall Creek Baseball Softball” passed by voice vote after discussion about insurance, leadership and what the city expects in year-end accounting. The agreement approved at the meeting covers use of Community Park fields; the board and Fall Creek representatives said the field house access and a separate field-house usage agreement remain under discussion.

Why it matters: Board members said Fall Creek provides a low-cost, local option that gives children who cannot afford travel teams a place to play and that the city needs clear contacts for accountability if repairs, scheduling or financial questions arise.

Discussion and conditions

Board members pressed Fall Creek to provide a formal leadership roster (president, vice president, treasurer, secretary) and standard financial summaries showing revenue, expenses and end-of-year accounting. The board said it must have named contacts before the city signs longer-term or more expansive agreements.

Parks Board member Virgil said he wanted a short, practical path forward: a six-month window for improvements and clearer commitments so the city and the league can track work and use. “I am more than willing to give you a 6 month extension to try to get to that good point,” Virgil told Fall Creek representatives during the meeting.

Fall Creek representative Will (identified by board members as the league president) and a volunteer groundskeeper, who identified himself as representing Fall Creek’s on-site work, said the league can provide financial details and leadership contact information. Groundskeeper Virgil (commenting as a Fall Creek representative) said, “Will is still the president … I don't think there'll be any problem informing you on leadership structure.” (speaker names as recorded in the meeting.)

City staff and board members clarified several process points: - Insurance and up-to-date financials are required before field use occurs. - Third-party, for-profit tournament organizers must present agreements to the board for approval; the city does not allow third-party use without board review. - The city treats in-place capital improvements as permanent city property if the city authorizes them.

Field house and timeline

Board members distinguished Community Park field use (approved tonight) from the field house agreement. Staff indicated the current field house agreement runs through early April (exact date not specified) and proposed a short-term meeting among Fall Creek leadership and city staff to outline improvements and responsibilities. Parks staff suggested putting a proposal on the board agenda in April with a list of improvements Fall Creek will complete during a defined period; if those improvements are not completed, the city could reevaluate field-house access.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to accept minutes from previous meeting — passed (voice vote, recorded as "Aye"). - Motion approving VFW Post 7119 usage of four pickleball courts Monday evenings, June 2–Aug. 25 (July 4 off), at $8 per court — passed (voice vote). - Motion to enter 2025 usage agreement with Fall Creek Baseball & Softball for Community Park — passed (voice vote). - A separate resolution on staff salaries/raises was tabled for further discussion with administration and not acted on at this meeting.

What remains: Fall Creek and city staff agreed to meet before the board's April meeting to draft a short-term field-house proposal and a list of prioritized repairs and maintenance that the league will undertake or fund. The board emphasized written leadership contact information and year-end financial reports will be required before longer-term or expanded agreements are signed.

Ending: Board members and Fall Creek representatives framed the agreement as an opportunity to keep recreational baseball accessible in Lawrence while ensuring the city has clear points of contact and documentation for facility maintenance and scheduling.