Old Settlers Park Sports Complex Improvement Project

Inside baseball

We've just posted the notes from our meetings June 4-5 with board members from the three youth baseball leagues on the City web site. We welcome comments from board members about the notes, which are pretty comprehensive but don't capture every last comment made at the meetings. Let me know if you think we've left something out that's significant.

Here are the links to the meeting notes: Old Settlers Express, Sam Bass Baseball, Round Rock Youth Baseball.

Will Hampton
Communications Director

Posted: Jun 20 2007, 08:50 PM by Will Hampton | with 3 comment(s)
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Comments

Reed Bender said:

I don't think the answer to one of my questions is fully reflected in the online meeting notes.

I think I'm the one that asked:

  What do we get for increased maintenance costs?

Your online answer:

  An increased level of maintenance and thus safer, more playable fields.

The answer I remember hearing at the meeting was that the maintenance of the fields would be provided by a dedicated crew -- dedicated to Old Settler's Park -- but they would not be doing any more maintenance than they are doing now.  I specifically asked if they would be cleaning bathrooms or picking up trash (which are jobs filled today by board members, parent volunteers, and their children) and the answer was no, the city will not be doing that in return for the new fees we'll be paying.  

Please explain again for me what "an increased level of maintenance" means other than a dedicated crew at Old Settler's Park doing the same functions they've done in the past.

Thanks.

# June 20, 2007 11:10 PM

Will Hampton said:

Here are some of the specific ways field maintenance activities will increase:

• Aeration of fields from 1 time per year to 3 times per year

• Annual lip cutting to prevent lip build up on infields

• Timely replacement of turf in worn field spots

• Cleaner dugouts

• Improve fertilization schedule to every 6 weeks during the growing season

• Timely fence repair

• Rehabilitation of the infields to reduce rain outs

• Walks and common area areas outside fences to be improved

• Staff will have a more active role in litter control, but still require assistance for game/tournament fields

And recall that part of the reason for increasing the fees is a change in our operating philosophy, as mandated by the City Council. The bottom line is that increased maintenance fees reduce subsidization of field use by other taxpayers who don’t use the facilities.

We posted some information on our web site the week of June 10 with more detail about the change in philosophy. Here’s the link, in case you missed it:

www.roundrocktexas.gov/.../index.asp

Thanks for seeking clarification.

Will Hampton

Communication Director

# June 21, 2007 2:38 PM

Reed Bender said:

Thanks for the list of specific maintenance items.  This will be good for parents/taxpayers to weigh against the new fees, whatever they turn out to be.  Those city fees, of course, will be passed on to them by the leagues at registration time.

# June 27, 2007 1:34 PM
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