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Council weighs new facility‑use agreement after complaints about adult football at Sunset Park
Summary
Council members described recurring nuisance behavior by an adult football group at Sunset Park — reports of drinking, gate fees, long occupancy and equipment use — and discussed drafting a facility‑use agreement with insurance and fee requirements to limit future disruption.
Council members spent substantial time on complaints about an adult semi‑pro/adult football group using Sunset Park for multi‑hour sessions. Council members and staff said the group arrives with large numbers, sometimes a mini bus, that drinking and gate fees have been reported, and that neighbors have raised concerns about behavior and the ability of local children to use the field.
“We do not have any type of facility use agreement for the parks,” a council member said, urging the creation of a written agreement that would require insurance, specify exclusive-use windows, and prohibit charging gate or parking fees on public property. Several council members recommended a temporary pause in usage until a facilities agreement is drafted; staff said the city could issue a facility‑use agreement and require a million‑dollar insurance certificate and a rental fee, which would grant exclusive use during specified times.
Council members discussed practical enforcement tools — changing locks, requiring insurance, restricting cleats that damage turf, and deputizing city staff or deputies to remove groups who do not follow rules — and asked staff to contact the group and ask them to hold off while a formal policy is prepared. The parks board also said volunteer cleanup at Sunset Park had removed debris and sediment but flagged wetlands-design constraints for excavation; staff said some sediment-trap areas have design restrictions that limit excavation without additional approvals.
The council asked staff to draft a facility‑use agreement for a future meeting that would include insurance, prohibited activities, and scheduling rules; no ordinance or final policy was adopted during the meeting.
