Town and OPAA near contract signing after insurance, fuel-storage and background-check issues addressed

Town staff and representatives of the Orange Park Athletic Association (OPAA) reported progress toward finalizing a license agreement for OPAA Park but said several outstanding documents must arrive before the town will execute the contract.

Town Manager William Whitson said the draft agreement the council previously approved remains unsigned because OPAA sent attorney comments after council action. “The document itself that was passed is not signed,” Whitson said. He told the committee the town will accept one operational tweak — allowing small amounts of fuel near field-maintenance equipment if stored in approved containers — but will otherwise not accept the changes OPAA’s attorney proposed.

The nut graf: The committee was told the town needs three things before it will finalize the deal: the signed agreement, proof that the town is listed as an additional insured on OPAA’s insurance, and acceptance of a limited amendment allowing properly stored fuel for small maintenance equipment. Committee members said failure to provide the additional-insured certificate quickly could force the town to suspend OPAA’s use of the fields.

Committee members and staff discussed the specifics the town requires. Whitson said he had discussed the storage question with the fire chief and shared the chief’s guidance: gas may be stored in approved, listed containers inside a flammable-liquid storage cabinet and must be less than 30 gallons to comply with local code. “If they could do that, then our folks, you know, are okay with that,” Whitson said.

Town Attorney (Miss Hodges) confirmed the town received OPAA’s attorney comments only recently and said a new Florida statute on background-screening for volunteers working with children — effective Jan. 1 — should be added to the license language. Hodges said that amendment is clerical and would not change the agreement’s substantive obligations because the contract already required adherence to applicable state and local laws on background checks.

OPAA representative (Mr. Harris) told the committee OPAA has multiple liability policies (park/premises, football/cheer, baseball/softball and a separate policy for flag football) and is working through insurers and brokers to obtain a certificate listing the town as an additional insured. “We have a bunch of policies that I can send you guys everything you want,” Harris said. He told the committee he expected the listing to be provided shortly.

Several committee members pressed for a timeline. Whitson recommended a firm deadline: provide the signed agreement and the additional-insured certificate by the coming Monday or the town would suspend operations until the documentation arrived. “If we get this stuff in by, say, Monday … everything closes down” he said, adding that the town would then resume operations once the documents were in hand and could discuss any contract amendments.

Discussion vs. decision: the committee did not take a formal vote. The town manager characterized the council as having already authorized the contract and framed the committee’s role as oversight and recommendation. Staff and OPAA agreed to continue communications and to supply deliverables (bank statements, profit-and-loss, tax filings and program reports) the license requires; at least some of those materials had been provided earlier and some items (notably the additional-insured certificate and final tax paperwork) remained outstanding.

Ending: Town staff said they will continue to work with OPAA to finalize the documents. The committee did not approve new policy language; it requested that staff pursue the additional-insured certificate and the signed agreement and, if those are not delivered by the stated deadline, to halt third-party operations at OPAA Park until the town’s risk-management conditions are met.