Ballpark fans ask city for $100k

McCOOK, Neb. -- A 2013 request for sales tax funds to expand a concession building at the Jaycees Complex returned to City Council Monday evening, with double the price tag.

Jerry Reitz of McCook presented materials related to the project and asked City Council to allocate $100,000 in the 2015-16 budget. The funds would be used to build a two-story concession and restroom building at the baseball and softball field complex located at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds, intended to attract more press coverage of baseball and softball games as well as provide an area for officials to change clothes and rest between games.

The amount requested by Reitz is double the $50,000 requested when the new concession stand and bathroom expansion project was originally submitted for consideration in 2013. At the time, Reitz said the new building would have potential to be part of a larger expansion that included an additional playing field, which would help McCook qualify to host more baseball and softball tournaments. McCook currently has six baseball diamonds, five of which are lighted and complimented by nine practice fields.

Reitz provided additional details on the location of the new field Monday and said it would be located where the complex parking lot currently resides and coupled with paving of a new parking lot.

"Basically what this is, I'm back," said Reitz, adding he hoped City Council would allocate uncommitted sales tax funds to the project. Reitz said some 256 kids had utilized McCook's indoor batting cage facility on West C Street this year and the Jaycees Complex ballfields were being used at an extreme rate. He said he has discussed improvements to the facility with City Manager Nate Schneider and asked City Council to commit $100,000 and allow Schneider to work with staff on determining the best approach to utilizing the funds.

Reitz said the American Legion and McCook Community College had donated materials, with the city providing labor, to make improvements to the warning track at the complex. The material was not enough to complete the project, however, and some of the funds would be used for that.

Mayor Mike Gonzales asked if the American Legion or the college had been approached about providing more materials, Reitz said no and added, "I would like to see us do that without them if possible."

Reitz said he also had another plan for an additional softball field, "down the road." He said another field could be constructed where the existing parking lot at the Jaycees Complex sits and then pave a new parking lot on the county's side. Reitz said it would be a good use of the property that could serve both entities, Red Willow County and the City of McCook, "and serve as a nice bridge for some of the animosity that has happened."

"If you could commit $100,000 to the complex we could get a lot done," said Reitz.

Council members thanked Reitz for his comments but otherwise offered no indication Monday as to how they felt about the project. City department heads are scheduled to receive individual budget requests from City Council members today for pricing and comments, according to the 2015-16 budget calendar. A request to make those individual budget requests public was sent out to each City Council member this morning, as well as to City Manager Nate Schneider previously.

Reitz's idea of requesting additional land from the county was something previously met with opposition during both City Council and Parks Advisory Board meetings, as part of the original effort to construct a local skatepark.

During the 2013-14 budget process Mayor Gonzales indicated he didn't believe the city should be committing any funds towards a skate park until supporters of the project raised matching funds on their own. Gonzales also said he didn't believe the city should be requesting additional land for the project from another entity, similar to Reitz's plan for the Jaycees Complex parking lot.

City Council ultimately committed $30,000 to the skatepark project during the August 2013 meeting after then-Mayor Dennis Berry and Councilman Bruce McDowell voiced support for committing funds to help get the skatepark project moving.

During a Parks Advisory Board meeting earlier that year, board member Michelle Gonzales said a proposed skatepark wasn't a city project and wanted to know why it was the city's responsibility to acquire land. She said the project would be a liability on the city.

The city distributed a recreational survey of residents last spring which could also play into how City Council prioritizes recreational items this budget cycle. City staff hoped at the time the survey would provide insight into recreational desires of the public and assist the city to draft a recreational plan. Some projects, such as a proposed dog park, were put on hold until after the results of the survey were compiled.

The results were reviewed during a public hearing in July of 2014 and indicated the vast majority of McCook residents prioritized improvements to the city swimming pool. Construction of a new skate park was ranked at a distant second and additional hiking and biking trails came in third.

When asked to rank their three highest priorities for new or improved facilities, the baseball and softball sports fell out of the top five and ranked sixth with 31 votes, coming in ahead of an ice skating rink by only three votes. The results prompted Mayor Gonzales to express surprise at the time, saying he thought baseball would have a stronger showing.

McCook skatepark supporters have since announced they reached the necessary $115,000 in donations and pledges needed to construct a new skatepark on city property at Kelley Park.