Shaliza Shaw asks council to allow Back to Blacktop adult league at city gym to raise funds for parks

Shaliza Shaw, speaking during public comment on behalf of Back to Blacktop, asked the council to permit use of the city Parks & Recreation gym and concession area for an adult sports league intended to raise funds for local park improvements.

Shaw said the league would be for adults 18 and older, run for eight weeks with Monday practices and Tuesday games, and start with spring basketball and cheerleading. "Our 1st sport that we look to start with would be spring basketball and cheerleading," she said, and suggested an April 21 kickoff to organize teams.

Shaw outlined fees and costs: a proposed $75-per-player registration, $50 for cheerleading to cover shirts and shorts, and quoted referee costs between $40 and $50 per game. She said Back to Blacktop would manage individual registrations and assemble teams to reduce the barrier of recruiting full teams. "We would pay for our referees. We will pay for our scorekeeper..." she said.

Shaw said proceeds would be split among City of (parks) efforts — Central Park and Nolan Park — and toward a skate-park initiative. She noted past small capital costs: paint and supplies for Central Park previously cost about $2,000. Council members raised scheduling concerns about Tuesday nights and questioned whether teams or individuals would register; Shaw said the model allows individual registration and team-building by the organizer.

A resident speaker cautioned that prior adult leagues struggled to collect fees and sometimes lost teams when participants failed to pay; the resident said that experience shaped concerns about the league's financial model.

Shaw said she would coordinate dates with city staff and open registration once the council approves facility use; no formal council vote was recorded at the meeting.