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Council approves $3,000 youth‑program grant for Solid Nation Co.; members ask for clarity about access and field fees
Summary
Council approved a $3,000 Mayor’s Youth Fund grant to Solid Nation Co. to cover equipment, uniforms and rentals. Council members pressed the applicants on whether programming is open to all Seaside youth, use of Hem Plaza and Catino Park, and whether facility fee waivers or alternatives exist.
Seaside — The City Council voted to award a $3,000 Mayor’s Youth Fund grant to Solid Nation Co., a newly formed nonprofit that said it provides free and low‑cost sports and mentorship programming for Seaside youth. The award drew detailed council and public questions about program scale, facility access and how the group will recruit participants beyond a single apartment complex.
Recreation Superintendent Keon Higgins explained that the Mayor’s Youth Fund supports youth‑serving nonprofits and that the fund had a balance of roughly $17,122 before the allocation. Approving the $3,000 request would reduce that balance to about $14,122, Higgins said. The requested funds are intended to defray equipment, uniform, referee and facility rental costs.
Applicant Marty Washington told the council Solid Nation’s initial practices had been held at Hem Plaza and Catino Park and said the program is “open to every child in Seaside,” though he acknowledged some locations (Hem Plaza management) initially limited practice access to residents of that property. The council pressed staff and the applicant on alternative field arrangements and whether Catino Park fee‑waiver policies could be applied; Assistant City Manager Dan Mus explained fee waivers at Catino Park are limited because the venue generates significant revenue and uses a month‑to‑month allocation process. He said only a few longstanding users are grandfathered for recurring use without full fees.
Council members stressed that the grant conditions and youth‑priority requirement — the Mayor’s Youth Fund requires at least 50% of participants be Seaside residents — must be met. Members also urged applicants to pursue matches, work with city staff on facility scheduling, and confirm program accessibility across Seaside rather than only at a single complex.
The council approved the grant after public speakers urged the city to support local youth activities and highlighted the program’s early community ties. The applicants said they plan to expand the roster and create more recruitment and partnership options as they scale.
What’s next: Recreation staff will process the grant payment; the council asked staff to clarify Catino Park scheduling and fee waiver options for programs serving a majority of Seaside youth.
