REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL December 17, 2015 FROM: MANUEL A. MOLLINEDO, PARCS Director BY: SHAUN SCHAEFER, Community Recreation Supervisor II Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department SUBJECT ..Title Approve a two-year agreement with Central California Baseball Academy for the Al Radka Park youth baseball fields and the adoption of the park. (Council District 5) ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the City Council approve the attached two-year agreement with the Central California Baseball Academy (CCBA), allowing priority access to the two youth baseball fields at Al Radka Park, located at 5897 E. Belmont Ave., for games and practices in exchange for maintenance services, youth baseball scholarships and field upgrades to the Al Radka Park baseball facility. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CCBA agrees to provide cleanup, landscaping, field improvements and limited repair services for the Al Radka Park Youth Baseball Fields and surrounding park space in exchange for priority access to the baseball fields at the park. The two-year agreement begins on December 17, 2015 and ends on December 16, 2017. The license agreement is designed for two years in duration in order that all park baseball field and surrounding area improvements can be completed by CCBA within the terms of the agreement. Included in the Agreement are the following terms: CCBA will: * Pay $500 per year for the annual field reservation fee which will contribute toward Al Radka Park repairs and maintenance. * Participate in the City of Fresno Adopt-a-Park Program for two years beginning December 17, 2015, through December 16, 2017. CCBA is committed to provide an average of 17 volunteer hours per month representing an economic value of $6,250 (408 hours at $15.32 per hour) over the two year agreement. This hourly commitment does not include the hundreds of hours devoted to coaching youth by committed adult volunteers. * Provide core Adopt-a-Park services to the park including edging, weeding, low-limb pruning, graffiti removal, trash pickup, performing minor repairs to facility equipment, furnishing necessary tools, reporting of volunteer information and park maintenance issues. * Provide reseeding of grass infields and outfields annually. * Cover dugouts with shade tarps (estimated value of $3,000) and provide covered seating (estimated value of $10,000) for spectators to games within the two year period of the agreement representing a total estimated value of $13,000. * Provide baseball participation scholarships for underprivileged children at a value of $30,000 annually. The City will reserve the Al Radka Park Baseball Fields for use by CCBA on a priority basis. Other groups wishing to use the field must contact the PARCS Department to ensure that there are no CCBA scheduled events during the time that another group wishes to use the baseball fields. BACKGROUND The CCBA was founded in the early 2000's by Terrance Frazier, a former Fresno State University athlete and professional baseball player who possess a passion for promoting youth baseball in our community. CCBA has been very active in providing Fresno youth an opportunity to participate in baseball training and competitive play. CCBA currently has nine teams, ages 9 through 18, registered and participating in their program throughout the year. The mission of CCBA is to use the game of baseball to improve the lives of young people. The importance of academic achievement, staying drug-free, and giving back to the community are strongly emphasized through educational support, substance abuse education, and community service events. CCBA is committed to mentoring youth and ensuring that cost is not an obstacle to motivated players. CCBA is dedicated to providing instruction to all age groups that emphasizes fundamentals for the purpose of long-term player development. The coaching staff with CCBA has rich baseball knowledge, developed through their experience in college and professional baseball. CCBA actively participates in community service projects throughout the year. These projects include food drives, volunteering at food banks, preparing dinners for residents of the Ronald McDonald House, park cleanups, and volunteering at various local churches. All participating players are encouraged to give back to the community as members of the Academy. With the partnership at Al Radka Park through the Adopt-a-Park program, CCBA will be providing facility upgrades and field maintenance levels that will exceed the current service standards and improve the overall quality of the facility. Along with providing site amenities such as shade covering for players and fans, CCBA will drag and chalk the fields daily and reseed grass baseball areas biannually. As part of routine field maintenance, CCBA will drag and aerate fields, paint and repair backstops, build up pitchers mounds and batters boxes, burn in and chalk field lines, rake and remove weeds from dirt infields, clean and repair dugouts and fill in holes in the outfields. CCBA will provide $30,000 for player scholarships or more annually for underprivileged community youth. The agreement will cover the maintenance and site improvements of the fields and surrounding areas in exchange for priority field access for the baseball fields at Al Radka Park. This Agreement was reviewed and approved by the City Attorney and Risk Management Offices. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS By definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 this item does not qualify as a "project", and therefore is exempt from CEQA requirements. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference is not applicable because this item does not include a bid or award of a construction or services contract. FISCAL IMPACT There is no negative fiscal impact to the General Fund. CCBA will pay a $500 reservation fee annually for a total of $1,000 for two years. In addition, CCBA will provide $30,000 in baseball scholarships for underprivileged youth annually and build covered seating for fans and ballplayers on both fields at an estimated value of $13,000. PARCS benefits include field upgrades, general grounds maintenance, and baseball scholarships for youth. CCBA's participation in the Adopt-a-Park Program during the two years of the agreement will generate approximately 408 volunteer hours representing an economic value of $6,250. The total estimated value of this two year partnership is $80,250. Attachment: License Agreement