Michael Lutz, a Trophy Club resident and youth coach, told the council during public comment that local select baseball teams have been forced to rent fields in neighboring Grapevine because current arrangements limit community decision-making.
Lutz said his Texas Edge program has more than 40 Trophy Club players and that when he sought to rent practice time at Independence Park he was told the town cannot rent the fields even when they appear unused. "I coach the AU team... We have 9 Trophy Club residents... In the fall, we went to go look at renting a baseball field for practice... I wrote them a check for $1,500 for 1 practice a week during the fall season," he said, describing the out-of-town cost burden.
Lutz asked that the parks-and-rec contract currently being rewritten restore unquestioned decision-making authority to the city/parks staff and allow teams with 9-10 Trophy Club residents who live and attend school in town to have priority access to their home fields. He said he expects the revised contract will come before the council in the coming months and urged the council to ensure resident teams have access.
Council and staff acknowledged that the contract is being rewritten and that it will be reviewed by council before being finalized.