Committee approves $131,438 fence-repair contract for Robert Crown athletic field; members ask about funding source

The Administration & Public Works Committee voted unanimously to award a $131,438 contract to National Sports Nets LLC for fencing repairs at the Robert Crown athletic field, and members asked staff to review whether future similar expenses should be charged to the Robert Crown maintenance fund.

Council members pulled Item A8 for funding clarification before the vote. Committee members wondered why the Robert Crown maintenance fund, which some said holds more than $600,000, was not used to cover the work. Staff replied that the bid was initially funded from sports-field use revenue (the account that receives fees tied to field use); because the bid came in $14,438 higher than that line-item balance, staff supplemented the remainder from a citywide park fencing repair fund. "From my understanding how much we receive from the people who go to the Robert Crown field... a certain amount of money was stored within that account in which we wanted to utilize towards this effort," a staff representative said. A staff member also told the committee that the Robert Crown fund is typically reserved for expensive projects such as replacing the artificial turf field.

Council members said they contribute annually to the Crown fund and asked staff to consider using it for similar maintenance items in the future. The committee then approved the National Sports Nets LLC contract, 4-0.