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Skagway softball group seeks removable sponsor banners; committee asks staff for detailed proposal
Summary
The Skagway Softball Association requested permission to hang removable sponsorship banners on 7 Pastures ballfield fences; the committee raised aesthetic and advertising concerns and asked staff to prepare a packet specifying sizes, locations, liability issues and any limits on logos.
Adam Smith of the Skagway Softball Association asked the committee for permission to place removable sponsorship banners on the fences of the 7 Pastures ballfields from April through September (possibly October) to raise funds for the nonprofit’s operations and field upkeep. He said the program would be intended to be minimally intrusive and that revenue would help pay for maintenance and field improvements.
Committee members acknowledged the fundraising need but raised concerns about permitting advertising on municipal green space and about visual impacts. Suggestions included placing small removable ads on dugouts, limiting size and graphics, and ensuring banners are removable when not in active use. Jason Verhaeg, Skagway Recreation Center director, supported a removable-banner approach and said the association had contributed volunteer labor and cost-shared turf work in prior years.
Staff and committee direction: the manager and staff said policy questions (logos, size, permanent fixtures) and liability should be resolved before approving blanket permission. Adam offered approximate banner dimensions — roughly 2½–3 feet tall and 4–6 feet wide — and emphasized the banners would be removable (zip ties suggested). The committee did not make a final decision and asked staff to assemble a packet with proposed sizes, placement, sample artwork limits and any legal or insurance constraints; members suggested the packet could require an attorney opinion on advertising rules if needed.
Direct quotes and context: "It's just essentially a way to take a burden off the city," Adam Smith said of fundraising via banners. Jason Verhaeg explained the 'legacy' approach to current garden plots and described how the softball group had already collaborated on field maintenance. Chair and others urged a careful, aesthetic-first approach to avoid turning the protected green space into a visual billboard.
Next steps: staff will work with Adam to produce a detailed sizing and placement proposal and bring a packet back to Parks & Rec; the committee considered scheduling an additional meeting before the season but preferred to get the policy right rather than rush.
