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Board working group offers draft plan to improve public access to baseball and soccer fields
Summary
A Parks Board working group presented a draft five‑point plan — centralized information, online scheduling, standardized contracts, revised youth sports agreements and performance metrics — to increase public access to city fields; the board will consider a final recommendation in September.
On Aug. 25, 2025, the Parks Board’s ball field working group presented a draft recommendation to address limited public access to baseball, softball and soccer fields citywide and to improve transparency for reservations and partner agreements.
Board Member Becker, who led the working group, said the draft is the product of roughly a year’s work and will be posted for public comment; the board plans to bring a final recommendation for a vote at the September meeting.
The group’s five core recommendations are: 1) create a centralized public information source listing public field locations, availability and contact procedures; 2) develop a robust online scheduling and reservation platform to display real‑time availability; 3) standardize contract language to clarify maintenance responsibilities, cost sharing, benefits and minimum public availability; 4) revise youth sports organization (YSO) agreements so non‑YSO groups have guaranteed minimum days and so periods currently granted as exclusive access are converted to priority access with reuse when unused; and 5) adopt consistent performance metrics and remedies if partners fail to meet access commitments. The working group said PARD is already working on standardized contract language and the City Auditor’s report informed the recommendations.
Board members discussed costs and phasing. The technology platform will require funding and the city is already evaluating a contracted reservation solution; the working group recommended advancing policy changes and then identifying implementation funding. Board Member Eubanks asked whether the draft would require a city code change; the group noted one relevant ordinance (city ordinance 20100204‑039) governs youth field use and may need amendment to align with the recommendations.
No formal board action was taken; the working group will revise the draft based on board and public feedback and return with a final recommendation in September.
