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Board approves lease amendment to resubmit redesigned softball field as natural turf; rezoning process next
Summary
The board approved Amendment No. 2 to a May 9, 2011 lease for district and city parcels to allow the district to resubmit a natural‑turf redesign of a proposed softball field. The district expects a 30‑day public hearing and planning‑commission review; bidding could begin in February with construction starting in spring.
The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District Board of Education approved Amendment Number 2 to a lease agreement dated May 9, 2011, authorizing the district to resubmit redesigned plans for a new softball field using natural turf on city-owned property.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations Jared Rosing summarized the proposal: last winter and spring the district sought to upgrade a baseball field and add an artificial-turf softball field on a parcel included in an earlier lease. City officials raised legal and policy questions, and the rezoning request was denied over concerns about artificial turf and related stormwater and land-use issues. The district then engaged its vendor (Point of Beginning) to redesign the softball plan with natural turf and to address the city’s runoff and other technical concerns.
By approving Amendment No. 2, the board authorized submission of the revised natural-turf plans and a rezoning request to the city. Rosing outlined the expected next steps: the district will post notice on the property, the city’s planning commission will hold a public hearing as part of the 30‑day notice process, and if the planning commission raises no unresolved concerns the rezoning would be approved. After rezoning, the district expects to submit final construction plans and to go out to bid; staff said the district anticipates bidding in February and starting construction in the spring (weather permitting). The board clarified the timeline: the field would not be available for this spring’s season; the earliest realistic availability would be the following season after construction completes.
Board members asked about technical and legacy lease language. One member raised a separate question about other lease obligations tied to former city-owned parcels (for example, shared lateral maintenance tied to a parcel that changed ownership); staff said they would follow up to identify any outstanding obligations and to coordinate with the city and any private owners as needed.
The board approved the amendment by motion, second and voice vote with the chair recording the motion as passing. The district will move the rezoning process forward with the city and notify the community of upcoming planning‑commission public hearings and related documents.
