Park board waives 2025 field fee for Pacific Soccer Association, forwards lease and concession recommendations to aldermen

The City of Pacific Park Board approved waiving the 2025 seasonal rental fee for the Pacific Soccer Association (PSA) and voted to forward a set of recommended terms for a long-term field agreement and concession-stand use to the Board of Aldermen.

Jonathan Vaterott, a PSA representative, told the board the group performs maintenance on Liberty Field and other park areas and asked the board to waive this year’s fee. "Last year, we did over $8,000 worth of field maintenance and upgrades," Vaterott said during public participation. He said the PSA seeks a long-term agreement ("10 to 15 year agreement at least") so the group can justify larger capital investments such as irrigation and removable fencing.

The board moved to waive the annual fee for 2025 in exchange for field maintenance and passed the motion by voice vote; there was no recorded opposition. The board then debated terms to recommend to the Board of Aldermen for a proposed seasonal or long-term agreement with PSA.

Key recommendations the board agreed to send to the Board of Aldermen include: a 10-year recommended term with options to extend; a requirement that PSA provide a three- and five-year maintenance/development plan; proof of at least $2,500 spent annually on field maintenance (the board framed that as a minimum credit toward exclusive use); exclusive access to primary soccer fields and the concession stand during PSA’s season (described by the board as roughly July through November), with city exceptions for major city events such as the rodeo; parking enforcement so vehicles remain on blacktop or gravel rather than fields; and clarification of insurance requirements (the board noted past rentals listed $1,000,000 per event but the rental form did not consistently display the insurance amount). The board discussed that reservation-system seasonal limits (12 weeks) differ from PSA’s season length (about 20 weeks) and said the recommended terms should account for that.

Board members expressed support for protecting public ownership of parkland and for including exit or breach provisions in any long-term agreement so the city could cancel if the lessee failed to meet obligations; they also noted prior 99‑year leases granted to other organizations as cautionary examples.

The Park Board voted to send the recommendation package to the Board of Aldermen; the motion carried by voice vote with no recorded opposition. The board will forward supporting language and ask the aldermen and city attorney to finalize terms and insurance thresholds.

The park board did not finalize a lease at the meeting; instead it provided the aldermen with the board’s written recommendations and requested that the aldermen and city attorney draft or review the formal agreement.