Council hears plan to keep vacant lot near City Hall for recreation and pursue grants for ball fields

Parks and recreation staff asked the council to hold the vacant lot adjacent to City Hall for recreational use and to partner with community organizations to seek grants for ball‑field development.

"I'm not asking the council to write us a check," Amy Walker Andrew said. "What I'm asking the council to do is to meet us halfway to potentially write some of these grants to build a ball field in the city, whether that's at the vacant lot or wherever that is." She noted recreation enrollments have grown — staff registered the city’s 500th baseball player this season — and that existing fields are operating at capacity.

Staff emphasized they do not recommend selling the parcel and proposed exploring grant partnerships with local nonprofits and the new DuPont Chamber of Commerce. The parks director said options could include temporary uses or phased construction and that any site‑specific plan would include due diligence such as contamination screening and infrastructure assessment.

Council members urged staff to assess alternative sites, cleanup costs and the potential for public‑private partnerships. Councilor Mike warned about cleanup and remediation expenses on any underused parcel and asked staff to ensure a site evaluation includes environmental review before committing to a plan.

Next steps: staff will return with ranked site options, cost estimates including any cleanup needs, and a grant‑pursuit plan developed with local nonprofit partners.