Old Settlers Park Sports Complex Improvement Project : baseball fields

Rain postpones Grand Opening of Champion Fields at Old Settlers Park

Terri Waggoner — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:20:00 GMT

The recent heavy rain and rains this morning have postponed the opening of the Champion Fields and Season Kickoff for the Round Rock Baseball League. The grand opening will now take place on Sunday, March 29 at 2:30 pm at Field 7 followed by games on the new fields. For more information, please visit www.roundrocktexas.gov or call Parks and Recreation at 512-218-5540.

Date for baseball complex grand opening set

Terri Waggoner — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:50:00 GMT

Mark your calendar for Saturday, March 28. The City of Round Rock and Round Rock Baseball League will celebrate the grand opening of the baseball complex at Old Settlers Park followed by a day of baseball play. Right now, the date is set. I'll post more updates when they are available!

Getting closer - Baseball complex update

Terri Waggoner — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:01:00 GMT

We're currently working with the Round Rock Baseball League to set a final date for the Grand Opening of the baseball complex and tennis building. The tennis building is constructed and substantially complete with restrooms and concession area. One convenient feature is that the tennis organizations will be able to run tournaments out of the new building.

Final touches are underway on the baseball fields and complexes with restroom expansions and improved pedestrian walkways. Concrete is pouring and its really starting to look impressive. Once the Grand Opening date is finalized, we'll post it on the blog!

Round Rock Baseball League website and update

Terri Waggoner — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:16:00 GMT

Well, the NEW Round Rock Baseball League (RRBL)now has a website: http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=rrbl. Bookmark the new website now so you can keep up with updates from the league and be ready for Spring ball.

RRBL is currently developing the operating budget for the spring season and still has openings on the board. Contact Rusty Charleton at 658-5887 or visit the website to get involved!

http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=rrbl.

If you are looking for minutes from previous board meetings, they are available on the website as well. Here's the link to the July minutes. August board minutes weren't approved since there wasn't a quorum at the Sept meeting. http://www.leaguelineup.com/rrbl/files/20080731RRBL.pdf

Entire park isn't closed, just the baseball and softball complex

Terri Waggoner — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:09:00 GMT

Come out to Old Settlers! Only the baseball and softball complex are closed during construction and renovations for the Sports Capital Improvement Project. We have been getting calls from concerned residents. The entire park is not closed, only the baseball and softball complex. Residents and guests can still enjoy the Rock'N River family aquatic center, park trails, the lake, volleyball courts, disc golf course, picnic areas, playgrounds, tennis courts, soccer fields, football fields and pavilions. If you have any questions, call 512-218-5540!

First Meeting the Round Rock Baseball League Board

Terri Waggoner — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:40:00 GMT

How exciting! The first Round Rock Baseball League Board of Directors Meeting is on June 26 from 7 pm - 9 pm at the City's McConico Buildling, Community Room. ( 301 West Bagdad ).

Agenda:

Ratification of ByLaws
Election of Officers
Election of Board Positions
Other Business
Meeting Schedule

Old Settlers Park Baseball Fields to close for Sports Complex Improvement Renovations

Terri Waggoner — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:24:00 GMT

Fall Baseball and Softball League Play Postponed

The City of Round Rock Parks and Recreation, the Round Rock Baseball League and Sertoma Girls Softball league representatives met on May 14 and supported the postponement of fall baseball and softball play to accommodate construction of the Old Settlers Park Sports Complex Improvement Project.

The entire baseball and softball complex at Old Settlers Park will close on August 3, 2008.

“A project of this magnitude and scale normally takes about two years, but we are producing rapid results in a one-year period as we invest in the Sports Capital of Texas,” Parks and Recreation Director Rick Atkins said. “The support we’ve received from the affected leagues plays an integral part in the success of this project. While the closure isn't until August 3, we want to provide baseball and softball participants ample awareness of the impact on the fall season.Working together, we know the future benefits will exceed the current setbacks.”

All leagues affected by the Old Settlers Park construction closure met to discuss the impact construction would have on the park and availability. “After meeting with a group of representatives from across the various affected leagues, we all agree that this minor setback will have a major benefit for our community,” The Round Rock Baseball League President Rusty Charleton said. “The City is investing in the future of baseball and softball in Round Rock and this closure is part of the fast track approach the city is taking. While this may impact us temporarily, the benefits will come back tenfold.”

“The park closure is necessary so we can complete this construction and have an even better facility,” Old Settlers Express President, Fred Ramirez said. “Baseball is very popular in this town and beyond as it’s a family pastime and a great method to get children to go outside and exercise.”

While construction is scheduled to take place in public areas including the concession and restroom areas, safety is a main priority. “I agree that safety is a main concern with these renovations,” Round Rock Youth Tournament Director, Rick Stevens said. “If we have heavy construction equipment out and about, we don’t need children at play. In addition, it will allow the Round Rock Baseball league some extra time to finalize our unified league before league play reconvenes.”

“In my experiences, construction and children don’t mix,” Charleton said. “We don’t need bulldozers, man holes, netting and children out in the complex during these final stages and massive renovations.”

“I strongly support the new complex renovations and the city has given us their most current information during our joint meetings,” Faith Zimmerman Commissioner of Round Rock Sertoma Girls Softball league said. “I expect this new complex will make us the premier facility because we’re going to knock their socks off! We are willing to salvage part of our fall season in expectation of future success. A delayed fall season is one solution we’re currently planning.”

The Old Settlers Park Sports Complex Improvement Project is on a phased construction schedule with various parts of the complex set to re-open at different times. Funded by Certificate of Obligation Bonds and the Capital Spending Plan, the $18.2 million improvement project renovations will result in the upgrade of 20 fields at Old Settlers Park and construction of five new fields.

Project highlights include lit batting cages, enhanced spectator seating, championship fields with a warming track and bull pen, additional playgrounds and tailgate islands at the park.

Developments are underway. Shade structures and bleachers are installed at the Southwest and Northwest Complex, fencing has been moved back in the Northeast Complex, lights are up and grading is complete for the new Girls Softball complex and the concrete is poured for the concession and restroom facility at the softball complex with progress occuring daily.

For more information on the Sports Complex Improvements visit www.roundrocktexas.gov or call Round Rock Parks and Recreation at 512-218-5540.

The Round Rock Baseball League Board of Directors

Terri Waggoner — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:56:00 GMT

OSE Baseball and Round Rock Youth Baseball become Round Rock Baseball League at the completion of this Spring/Summer Season. The current step is the process of forming the Board of Directors for the new, combined league and you’re invited to participate!

Sign up to help with the following: Executive Committee (President, Secretary, Treasurer, VPs), Umpire in Charge, Equipment, Facilities, Tournaments, Concessions, Uniforms/Awards, Registrar, Web, Team/Parent Coordinator, Public Relations, Sponsors, Insurance/Safety, Scheduler, Commissioners (4-6, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-18).

Board Of Directors/ Volunteer Form

For more information call Debbie Davila 341-3354.

Groundbreaking 2007

Terri Waggoner — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:52:00 GMT

Pictures from the groundbreaking of the Sports Capital Improvement Project are on the City's Flickr page! You can find pictures of all types of events and happenings http://www.flickr.com/photos/cityofroundrock/sets/

Round Rock Baseball

Terri Waggoner — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:16:00 GMT

On Wednesday, January 16, a name was given to the new unified baseball league. Keeping it simple and easily searchable for someone wanting to find out about baseball in our town, the league representatives unanimously agreed that "Round Rock Baseball" would be the best name going forward. Congratulations to Felix Lopez who was the first person to submit this name to the blog and is winner of the naming contest.

The league representatives worked with Barry Silverberg on compiling the data needed for the 501c3 non-profit status requirements on Wednesday and further discussed the election process to get officers for Round Rock Baseball in place.

The current plan is to nominate 2 people from OSE, 2 people from RRYB and 1 from Sam Bass to run the elections for the board in the interim and get the new organization up and running with full elections in the Spring. The team has worked very hard to get this far and progress is definitely taking place!

Also, don’t forget the groundbreaking for the Sports Capital Improvement Project is Friday, January 25 at 4 pm at the location for the new girls' softball complex. We hope to see you there!

Bylaws coming together

Terri Waggoner — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:42:00 GMT

Progress is underway and the team of representatives and board members from each league continues to meet every Monday and Wednesday to push forward to have a set of bylaws and organization plan by the October 15 deadline. The group is working through bylaws and has drafted an organizational chart.

Project update (updated!)

Will Hampton — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:05:00 GMT

Time for a project update. Here are some of the tasks we'll be working on over the next 30 days.

As promised, we are working to set up meetings between league treasurers and city finance staff so we can have a better working knowledge of the organizations' financial issues.
We are working on a survey that we'll post on the City web site to continue to get input on the issues we've identified as the most critical to the success of the project: field scheduling, cost, practices, game times, select vs. recreational play, etc. We hope to get that up next week (week of July 16).
Last but certainly not least, we are working with a facilitator -- who has experience assisting community groups and local government -- to create a working group of league representatives, community members and City staff to begin the process of creating a unified organization for youth baseball. UPDATE: Here's an application for parents who are interested in serving on the working group (Note: It's a Word document. Click here to download the free Word viewer if you don't have it.) Applications are due by Tuesday, July 24. Call Debbie Davila with our Parks and Recreation Department at 341-3354 for more information.

Will Hampton
Communications Director

Inside baseball

Will Hampton — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 01:50:00 GMT

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

Follow the money

Will Hampton — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 21:58:00 GMT

As we're engaging folks about the Sports Complex Improvement Project, one issue we're addressing frequently is the increased cost the City will charge users so we can recover more of our maintenance expenses.

First off, it's important to note we have charged very little for field use. Leagues pay us for the marble dust used to stripe the fields and $18 an hour for electricity when the lights are on. That's it.

We've got a web page up now that explains in more detail the rationale behind the 25 percent cost recovery target (as well as the maintenance and management proposals). For those of you unfamiliar with the 10 Year Plan process, be sure to follow the links provided for a better understanding of that comprehensive financial planning effort. If you're wondering what other cities and organizations charge compared to what we're proposing, here's a chart.

I think the one comment we hear most frequently is, "What do we get for the increased fees?" Here's how Cory Styron, assistant parks and recreation director, answers the question: "First, you'll receive a higher standard of maintenance. We are renovating the fields and this will require a higher maintenance standard than currently provided to ensure long-term playability. You will have a significantly improved playing surface and spectator area from the proposed improvements."

From our perspective, we also have to consider the non-users of the facility. They will be subsidizing less of the on-going costs for maintenance. Note: We'll be asking all users of Old Settlers Park sports facilities - not just baseball fields - to begin paying more.

If the next two paragraphs sound familiar, it's because they are lifted directly from my response to comments on the first post.

The physical improvements to the fields will be paid for by all property taxpayers, assuming the City Council authorizes the issuance of the $12.6 million in Certificates of Obligation (COs) for the project on July 12, as expected. The COs are paid back through property taxes.

Bottom line, the entire community is paying for the physical improvements to Old Settlers Park. We believe that providing space for children to play organized sports is a valuable and important role for local government. We are asking that users of those facilities begin to pay more for the ongoing costs the City incurs to maintain them. How much of the cost recovery comes from recreational league play, select league play and tournament play is something we're asking for input on.

So, what are your thoughts on how much of the cost recovery should be borne by recreational league play vs. select play vs. tournament play (league and out-of-town)? And what about resident vs. non-residents? Should leagues charge more for non-residents? Let us know what you think.

Will Hampton
Communications Director

Mission critical

Will Hampton — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 21:45:00 GMT

Welcome to the first post of the Old Settlers Park Sports Complex Improvement Project blog. This post will be short and sweet, but there will be much more to follow soon. There are a number of issues we are seeking public input on, so we’ll have a post for each issue, just to keep things organized and easy to follow.

If you need some background on the project, click here.

Our first item for input will be the project mission. The project team met with representatives from the boards of Old Settlers Express Baseball, Sam Bass Youth Baseball and Round Rock Youth Baseball on June 4 and 5. During those meetings, we realized our mission statement needed some tweaking. Here’s what we’ve got at present:

Maximize the benefits to the community of the sports complex at Old Settlers Park, and recover a reasonable portion of the City’s cost to maintain them.

What’s missing is something about the project being primarily for the benefit of Round Rock kids. It's understood in our minds this project is for the youth in our community, but that’s not clear in the mission statement. So we’d like your ideas on how to incorporate that critical point into the statement. We’ll be working on updating the statement as well, but we’re open to all the good ideas we can get. So let us know what you think. (Be sure to read our Terms of Use, and join Community Conversations if you want to comment.)

We want to get the mission updated in time for the Monday, June 11, open house meeting. If you haven't already heard, we've also scheduled another open house meeting for Thursday, June 21.

Again, we’ll have more topics posted over the next few days so you can give us the input we need to make this project successful.

UPDATE: We've revised our Mission Statement for the project. It now reads: Maximize the benefits of the sports complex at Old Settlers Park to the community, primarily the youth of Round Rock, and recover a reasonable portion of the City’s maintenance costs.

We've also created a new page on the web site that has more detailed information about fees, maintenance and management of the Sports Complex at Old Settlers Park. It answers many of the questions that have come up in the comments we've received.