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Summit Park lease tabled over nonprofit compliance and which fields are covered
Summary
A draft lease conveying ball fields and related facilities at Summit Park to a nonprofit was tabled. Commissioners requested proof of nonprofit compliance, inclusion/exclusion of the lower/multi-use field be clarified, and notice to the West Virginia Girls Softball League.
The Harrison County Commission tabled consideration of a draft Summit Park lease May 20 after commissioners raised questions about compliance, chain-of-title restrictions and exactly which fields would be covered.
Trey, a county staff member, summarized the draft lease and noted the county allowed annual leases aligned with the softball season "through the end of the calendar year" with renewal considered each January. He said the draft had been edited by several commissioners and county staff to reflect the county's needs and to protect public access where the deed places an open-access requirement on the land.
Commissioners flagged two central concerns: whether the nonprofit that would receive the lease is currently compliant with the Secretary of State's nonprofit registration requirements, and whether the lease's description of "ball fields and related facilities" unintentionally excludes a smaller lower field the commission believes should be included. "It doesn't include the bottom field," one commissioner said, and other commissioners urged that the lease either include all three fields or carve out specific areas while preserving public access requirements recorded in book 1607, page 973.
One commissioner also complained that work had been done at the park without the commission's prior approval and said commissioners had been left out of some communications about the project. Other commissioners disputed that characterization on the record. The commission agreed to table the lease and to: send a copy to the West Virginia Girls Softball League, require proof the nonprofit is in good standing with the Secretary of State and the IRS, and return the item to the next meeting with clarifications and cost/plan details.
No final lease was approved; staff were instructed to provide the requested documentation and to draft a version that clearly describes the scope of the leased areas and preserves public access covenants before the commission considers the matter again.
