Title
ARCHIE ANDERSON PARK BASEBALL FIELD REMOVAL
COUNCIL STRATEGIC INITIATIVES ADDRESSED:
Preserve and enhance neighborhoods
Address quality of place issues
CITY ATTORNEY REVIEW: N/A
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
The Archie Anderson Park Master Plan was adopted in 2011 to address the upgrade of existing facilities and to introduce new facilities and programs into the park system. At that time it was the home of the Central Youth Baseball League, which utilized, improved upon, and maintained the baseball portion of the park year round. When the park plan was being prepared, decline in participation in youth baseball was already underway in Longview. In 2013, Western Youth Baseball and Central Youth Baseball combined to form one league, Longview Youth Baseball, with the hopes of gaining additional registration and volunteer help.
The initial plan for the new league was to utilize both John Null and Archie Anderson Parks for games and spread teams and volunteers between the two facilities. During their first year, Longview Youth Baseball's use of Archie Anderson Park was very minimal and almost no use occurred in 2014. During 2014 it became increasingly difficult for Longview Youth Baseball to continue the standard of maintenance needed to uphold their Facility Use Contract, and mid to late last year the parks division took over maintenance of the facility. Due to lack of registration and participation in their organization, they are no longer able to maintain two park complexes and would like to focus their efforts solely on John Null Park. Tasks that were previously performed by the youth baseball organization are now time constraints and additional costs to the city for the maintenance and upkeep of the facility.
With Archie Anderson Park no longer being used regularly for baseball, it has become a place for unwelcome individuals to loiter/sleep in dugouts and other hiding areas throughout the park and for other unwanted activities to occur. We have received complaints about them from neighbors and visitors to the park.
Attached for council consideration is an overview map of a proposed plan for removal of fields at Archie Anderson Park that was approved by the Park and Recreation Advisory Board at last month's meeting. As shown on the map, the short-term plan is to remove the three fields closest to the Highlands Trail and to leave the largest and best field as it is for that use. The parks division will remove the fences, backstops, and dugouts for all three fields. The expectations of removal will be to provide the community with an open play space/green space, to deter unwanted visitors/activities, and to make it easier to maintain by providing barrier free mowing. The Highlands Neighborhood Association endorses the changes as they believe it will provide more opportunities for general play and recreation while deterring the unwanted use from individuals with ulterior motives.
The proposed field removal plan does not necessarily require an amendment to the Archie Anderson Park Master Plan. The master plan calls for removal of all four of the current fields and reconfiguration of that space into three fields. (Attached is a map from the master plan showing where and what new facilities are included in the plan.) However, since the reconfiguration would be deferred at a minimum, it would be appropriate for council to acknowledge the removal proposal and to be prepared for the initiation of a process to consider a possible revision to the master plan concerning other potential uses of the new open space.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Direct City Attorney to prepare a resolution to acknowledge the removal proposal and to be prepared to potentially initiate a process to consider a possible revision to the Archie Anderson Master Plan concerning other potential use of the new open space.