Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Staff recommends against purchasing school district ‘Field of Dreams’; Miracle League fundraising and parking needs cited
Summary
After due diligence, city staff recommended not buying the 'Field of Dreams' from the school district, citing diminished recreational value, fragmented Miracle League fundraising, parking constraints and restroom requirements.
City staff told the council that after due diligence they would not recommend purchasing the Field of Dreams property from the school district.
A city staff member said the softball club would likely continue daily use of the field, which reduced the additional recreational programming the city could realize from ownership. The staff member said Miracle League fundraising is targeting a field in Sun Prairie, which fragments potential fundraising and the user base for a new inclusive-play field in Verona.
The staff member said a person who had explored building a Miracle League field told staff the site would require an expanded parking lot to accommodate simultaneous events. The staff member also said the softball club was not willing to pay to add a restroom on the site, which the staff member said would have been a requirement for the Miracle League project they had been discussing.
"In the end…we wouldn't recommend purchasing the property," the city staff member said, summarizing staff counsel after reviewing the site, recreational value, fundraising prospects and infrastructure needs.
The staff member told the council the school district remains a strong partner and that the district may have other sites with larger fields and more parking that could accommodate an inclusive field; staff offered to help the district or community groups explore alternatives.
Why it matters: Council consideration of purchasing school property would have required assessing maintenance, parking, restroom infrastructure and how ownership would change recreational programming. Staff concluded the net city benefit did not justify a purchase under the conditions they reviewed.
Council discussion included questions about user access, parking, restroom requirements and whether alternative school-district properties could host an inclusive field. The transcript excerpt shows staff recommended against a purchase but did not record a formal council vote on the matter in the provided segment.
