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Perfect Game pitches lease to run tournaments at Stephen J. Underwood fields; council and neighbors seek limits on hours, parking
Summary
A national tournament operator proposed a long-term lease to run and maintain Stephen J. Underwood ballfields. The concept would transfer field maintenance to the operator, reduce city O&M costs and bring tournament traffic; council members asked for limits on hours, neighborhood impacts and written guarantees for local access.
City public‑works staff and representatives of Perfect Game on Sept. 11 presented a conceptual lease for Stephen J. Underwood Sports Complex that would transfer routine maintenance and programming of three baseball fields to the private operator in exchange for field improvements and programming for tournaments and youth leagues.
Public Works Director Mike Slavin told council the city’s maintenance cost for the Underwood fields is roughly $100,000 a year and that Perfect Game has offered to recondition infields and take over operations to increase field use. Darren Larson, who described himself as a regional representative for Perfect Game, said the company would pay upfront for infield work (Larson estimated $30,000–$60,000), program tournaments and offer discounted programming to local residents.
Under the concept presentation, the city would retain ownership of permanent structures (lights, restrooms, playground) while the lessee would take responsibility for field surface maintenance, restroom cleaning during events, and event programming. Larson said Perfect Game expects to attract out‑of‑area teams and families, and the company envisions partnerships with local hotels and restaurants.
Council members and staff asked several operational questions: the council sought explicit hours of operation and commitments to limit late‑night play, information on parking and traffic impacts, guarantees of continued access for local users and detail on how Little League and other community programs would be preserved. Darren Larson said weekday tournaments typically finish earlier (Larson cited a 10 p.m. weekday upper bound in his remarks) and West Coast events often end earlier than nationwide tournaments; he also said the operator would work with local youth groups to preserve community access to fields.
Several council members asked staff to return with more specificity about anticipated economic impacts (hotel and restaurant spending), exact lease terms and a drafted service agreement that would preserve community use. Staff told council the item on Sept. 11 was a conceptual briefing only; a formal lease has not been presented for council approval. The draft lease discussed later in the meeting would be for an initial five‑year term with options to renew, staff said, but council and staff indicated more neighborhood engagement and a written operations plan will be needed before a final agreement.
Ending: Staff said the council will receive a formal lease proposal, operating plan and neighborhood impact analysis for committee or council review before any final action.
