Bishop Field Special Technical Advisory Transcript 9/9/26

0:09 Okay. All right. Well, I motion we we have this committee to order. Anybody second it? Second. Second. Third.
0:17 Third. Okay. All right. We're in session.
0:21 Why don't we start with Zay Ortel? uh reminding everybody especially since the there's two people here tonight that had
0:29 not been able to join us in previous meetings about the sunshine laws and how they work.
0:35 Yeah. So, uh a general overview of sunshine laws and we'll do sunshine and public record. So, sunshine you cannot
0:42 discuss anything related to Bishop Field with anyone else on the committee outside of Bishop Field or outside of
0:50 these committee meetings. So, uh, let's say you're at a neighborhood gathering and someone asks you, hey, what's going
0:58 on with that? And then they go tell someone else at the meeting what who is on their committee what you said about
1:05 Bishop Field. Uh, that is also a Sunshine violation. So, essentially, no communications about Bishop Field amongst members outside of these
1:14 chambers or an official meeting. Uh, additionally, everything you put in writing, uh, is subject to public
1:21 record. So, anything you don't want your mom reading, um, make sure you you're careful with what
1:29 you put in writing. Uh, do we have any questions about what that means?
1:35 Did Did you just describe it as using someone as a conduit?
1:40 Yeah, you can't. So, you can't talk to each other and you can't use someone as a conduit.
1:44 Yeah. So, that's a big uh no no. And that's how a lot of people try to get around it. Yeah.
1:49 Is uh hey, go tell go tell Paul about what I plan on doing on this.
1:55 A deliberate um it's going to depend on what it is.
2:03 Yeah.
2:04 So, uh things happen. Um, but air on the side of caution like if you know there's a really tight relationship between
2:13 some like you all live in the neighborhood. Uh, you all speak to the same people, right?
2:19 So, um, just use caution when having those conversations uh because this all
2:27 committee is all subject to the sunshine. You got it.
2:34 Okay. Next thing, why don't we just introduce ourselves since we've got two folks haven't been here before. You want to start?
2:42 Sure.
2:43 Okay. So, I'm P Vasquez. So, I play baseball at real life. So, we use the team. We're probably like the only primary high school team that uses the
2:50 field and um I'm, you know, I guess I got to drove the short straw, so I became the chairman. But, uh honestly, I
2:59 love the neighborhood. Uh and I think we can improve in the baseball field. So, you know, and we love the history behind it. So that's one thing we want to try to preserve from that.
3:08 Right. I'm Nathan Norris. I'm the director of economic development city of Clermont and the honorary city liaison along with Z.
3:21 [clears throat]
3:24 I'm David Santiago. I'm owner and uh coach of Double Play. Uh I have many teams and kids that play on that field for several years.
3:35 I work with David at the facility. I've coached here in Clermont, Roman Mola,
3:41 mascot for at least 10 to 12 years. Um, and just here to help.
3:49 I'm Brian Foreman. I'm the park and recreation director.
3:52 I'm Jacob Simpson, resident of Dotto Street. Have a background in building construction and engineering.
4:01 Um, I'm Brendan [clears throat] Curl, resident of Second Street. Uh, I teach high school, uh, here in Lake County. I
4:08 coach cross country, swimming, and track as well as triathlon here in Clermont.
4:14 Um, been coaching for almost 30 years now. So, um, not specifically baseball,
4:21 but, uh, do have an interest in seeing that the the project is done in a
4:29 beautiful manner that uh retains the historical value of it as well as makes it a place
4:37 of community use and retains the community aspect of it for the neighborhood.
4:47 William Repine 36year resident at Dotto um my
4:54 background is electrical engineering and project test engineering. Great.
5:02 And I am Zayn Ertel. I'm the development liaison for the city. So, I'm kind of the uh I do a little bit of everything.
5:13 Awesome.
5:17 So, what's next on the agenda? We're doing the meeting uh minutes from last time or we review just you just approve the meeting. Just approve. Okay.
5:24 Just going to need a motion and second and approve.
5:26 Okay. So, uh, I motion that we approve the meeting minutes from the last meeting.
5:31 Could we could we ask some questions about Sure. the minutes? Yeah.
5:34 So, in, um, the grand entrance, welcome to Bishop Field. Could someone describe what more about that?
5:44 Thank you. Oh, sorry. Thank you. Um, so basically one of the things, u, and what's the name of that one street
5:51 that's come in parallel? Is it Third Street? East. He's half.
5:56 They want to make a nice entrance just like a like a nice arch.
6:02 We also mentioned that where there is a parking uh lot right now in Rightfield.
6:07 I know you know that. So we could keep that there and then make a secondary gate that way that would be like the main the extra gate that comes in from
6:15 that way. That way the main parking is where the parking lot is right now. So that that's basically what they're saying. And they they said that that east is a main corridor. This is kind of like the beginning to downtown.
6:26 Uh, and I guess there's improvements being made with the street. So, they want just to kind of make it prominent with the signage and it would be like
6:33 we envision like rod iron. I mean, there was a mockup that was done by an architect, right? So, that was floating around, you know, rod iron. It says Clermont, you know.
6:42 Is it over East Avenue or?
6:44 Yeah. So, this is the baseball diamond, right? And then there's Dodto. This is home plate, right?
6:50 We the gate right here. So in the down the first baseline and then a similar like gate that complements it in right field.
6:58 Yeah. Okay.
6:59 Yeah. On along the fence along the fence line. Okay. So cool.
7:03 I was kind of wondering about the the idea of it being an entrance to Clermont. If you go down east street,
7:11 there is really only one road that will without great confr, you know, without going through a maze of streets. There's
7:19 Oyola. You go down east street, you want to get downtown, it's Oyola or pretty much nothing. Everything else ends at Waterfront Park or the lake.
7:30 Yeah.
7:30 Oyola, it seems more like 50 to 8 Street. That's really the and only entrance to downtown.
7:38 Yeah.
7:39 You know, to consider East Street, the entrance to downtown is a little far.
7:46 Yeah. And and I think like even the notes I think when people talk about the downtown and
7:54 stuff oftentimes, just so you know, in the discussions I have, you're talking about the historic town of Clermont, which essentially went from east all the way to 12.
8:04 So when you come to 12th, you're Oh, I'm in the downtown. You're really not in the downtown. You're just in the old old
8:11 section of town. East really reflects the edge of it. East is when it trans uh transferred to five acre rods and stuff
8:19 like that. It was essentially country and so from f from east to 12 is the [snorts] that's what people are
8:26 concerned about. Plus east is the m because of that east is the major cross from 50 as well.
8:35 And you know, if you think about like making it like having that historic yet modern, you know, with with like, you
8:43 know, rod iron, nice signage. Um, and if they're going to are they going to be graveling No, I mean, um, paving that
8:50 street or or putting circles in there because they that street needs to slow down. Like that's my biggest concern is East Avenue. Yeah, East Avenue.
8:57 To my understanding, they're going to be putting bike lanes there. They're going to be putting u street parking on the sides and they're going to be narrowing
9:06 those lanes to to slow down the slow down the hope. Yeah, that's perfect.
9:10 I believe they're going to be adding some crosswalks and things like that.
9:12 That That's perfect. Yeah, cuz I was even mentioning maybe they just upgraded the surface.
9:17 The surface of the surface isn't changing. Okay.
9:19 Where where they paint stripes and parking that'll change.
9:23 But if they need to, could could they put some like speed bumps like I have kids chasing balls all day. That that's what freaks me out sometimes when I'm like, "Hey, go get a ball." And I'm
9:32 like, and it's we're at six o'clock when it's rush hour and right, you know, and there's cars parked along that side of the street. Yeah.
9:39 Which we talk about that uh netting. We would net as much as we can along the balcons, which would uh enable more parking on the street.
9:48 And then we mentioned um down the third baseline if we would add maybe angled parking or something there where we could add even a little bit more parking
9:56 there widen room. Is that right? Yeah, in a little bit and make those.
10:00 And remember, we're talking about priorities and design elements.
10:03 Oh, yeah. That would I know we had a question about the minutes. So, I got you.
10:08 So, any any other questions about Yeah, that answers my question for that.
10:11 And then I guess so we can officially talk about the the gravel area. Yeah. A description of that.
10:16 Yeah. And um so you were there. We were discussing that was it was you mentioned that there was a little bit of flooding sometimes coming if it rains. In fact, just this last
10:25 stream, what two days ago, I guess it was, it was coming up over the curb into my front yard, into my driveway.
10:34 And as it goes down to where like I think there is or used to be some sort of filtering mechanism on abandoned Second Street.
10:45 Uhhuh.
10:45 Um, it just goes up and over. And that curb has got to be almost tw 10 in high
10:52 and it's got the cement back of my F-150 hits it if I drive down it. I know I shouldn't be there. Uh anyway, the the water comes up over that curb.
11:02 Yeah.
11:03 And cuts a furrow on Second Street. It's over. We're getting that corner collects all the water from 50 down Second.
11:14 Anything that comes off the ballpark. Anything that came was it blocks them.
11:18 What's that little street? Bloxom broom. Broom. room 52nd East Street Dodto.
11:29 It all ends up down at the corner. And so that's where the idea came from.
11:34 We were like, well, we all were in agreement. We we believed that leaving it not putting a parking lot there like like I know there was a design that on
11:42 during the council meeting, we were all like a why waste the money there? The field needs money. The stadium needs money. There's a parking lot perfectly
11:49 good if we put a in the right field. If we just put the gate there, more people will park there. And then the street parking, which if they're already
11:57 working on East Street and then if we put netting then potentially long broom, we could put more parking. But the idea was, hey, it's already rough because
12:05 people do park there and it's under shade, so you're not going to really grow grass. Just gravel, which will help with the water. And then maybe ideally,
12:13 I'm not a designer or construction, but a French I did have a house in Kentucky that had a backed up to a nursery and the water we had to put a French drain
12:20 because of the runoff kept coming. So So yeah, on [clears throat] the minutes, are there any questions about the accuracy of the minutes?
12:29 Not the content, but the accuracy.
12:30 And because we could we could we could deliberate after this.
12:33 So what we're looking for is a motion to approve the minutes.
12:37 Okay. To what does what does that mean? That means that the minutes are they captured what we talked about that that date. So
12:44 So you're just approving that that the minutes are accurate.
12:47 Yeah, they're accurate.
12:49 They're accurate. All right. A motion that that we approve the minutes. Second and a third. You guys already Okay.
12:57 So now neighborhood and Okay. So yeah, now we can discuss this further. So, so what what's the concern?
13:08 Because I hear the concern about that area with the gravel and a drain.
13:12 Honestly, it was just an idea. If if we were hearing that there was an issue, we you know, if we could address it while we're doing this rehab, you know,
13:20 what would be the concern? Just you don't want it to look like parking lot. We get we get that, right?
13:25 Um but you know, like closer to the field, closer to the field there's already it's all dusty. It's like a dust bowl.
13:34 You're talking about behind left field.
13:35 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's what Just throw I was like throw a little gravel and then where it dips if if there keeps you like that will help with water, right?
13:42 Because you're going to you know if you put a parking lot if they don't grade it, right? You're going to get more water there.
13:48 Any I think any impervious surface is going to increase the runoff and all that runoff goes straight out down into Crystal Lake which is a
13:55 springfed lake and it's the original water source for the city of Clermont.
14:00 Um the water quality on in that lake has it's deteriorated a lot just in the last seven years um that I've been there.
14:11 I don't know for a fact my neighbor on the other side who lived there for 35 years um said that it changed
14:18 drastically when they redid something on 50
14:25 whatever that is is but I I think that any additional impervious surfaces would drastically
14:33 then then we just dep prioritize. I mean that could be something where you just don't touch it and if it becomes an issue we can address it later.
14:40 I think if we really want to you know work on um you know if we add some
14:48 additional parking on Broom um if there is good street parking on east um that
14:55 area that we're talking about there that's all sandy uh that's because people just go and pull over the curb or just park there.
15:03 They park there because if there's no other parking I think if you put some gravel there that's going to continue to encourage parking there. I got you.
15:11 Um and in discussion with the neighbors there they leave a lot of trash. I mean I I not even discussion with the neighbors
15:18 but I see it and it's just disgusting trash bags, food plates, just everything. So, if we
15:26 want to beautify the whole park, if we can, um I don't know, maybe a slight
15:33 repair on the the curve there. I don't know if that's something that the city would consider as they're working on the streets there.
15:41 Um to discourage people from parking there.
15:45 Um that might I think we will have plenty of parking if um we put street parking and brightfield if we put a gate. I mean it
15:53 nobody it never sells out but I don't know maybe in the Sunday league you're gonna I mean you're gonna have to block it off
16:00 because people are going to park they're going to find shady spot it's a nice shady spot they're going to park there only on the weekends the men's league is
16:09 when they park in left field because there's no parking but if we improve the field the way we're thinking about you're going to
16:17 have people that's true you're going to have people and if we improve field and we look into later on what I mentioned the college league.
16:27 Yeah.
16:29 And the food trucks that we'll mention and the other stuff.
16:34 So the parking is if we're going to expand the right field parking that should alleviate that.
16:39 But to to discourage people from parking in that area, you're going to have to block it off. Well, one thing that uh was discussed and council member Strange
16:48 and Councilman Bane also mentioned to my recollection, they did not want to expand any park. They wanted to leave
16:54 what was green and green. So, I would also agree with that statement and that
17:01 sentiment of not expanding any parking there.
17:05 Yeah, they I not not into the grass. Yeah, that there's um
17:12 it so in right field there's a uh what do you call it? Like a railroad tie that blocks off what was the parking lot.
17:19 There's still like gravel on the other side of it. Like we were kind of joking that you could like literally move it and create more parking.
17:27 Why was that originally put there? Why it it um we're not sure. Nobody knows. Nobody knows.
17:33 It's been there for over 25 years. It's It was put in shortly. It just appeared. Yeah.
17:40 One day five years after I moved here. Yeah. It just suddenly those phone poles. Yeah.
17:46 Those phone poles wrapped around just suddenly arrived. Yeah.
17:50 Don't know where they came from. We'll put them in.
17:52 So, but they've been there for about 20 plus years.
17:55 But that's what we're discussing. We're not like the that architectural plan that was floated during the council. We don't want that. We don't want that. We don't want that.
18:02 We don't want It's too much.
18:03 It's too much. and it's beautiful out there and you're going to have to like kill trees and no, you know, um we we were just saying there's a parking lot
18:10 there. There's the extra gravel and just expand it. That should give you enough if we put the street parking in. And then everybody was like, "Hey, just
18:19 leave Fields as is." The gravel piece honestly was just an idea when we heard about the water. Hey, you can just gravel it. Maybe that'll help with the water.
18:28 How much are you considering expanding that? Uh, it was it was it it's there's a footprint there. We were just like, "Hey, just
18:35 push it over and keep the footprint that was in there." It's about 30 30 feet.
18:39 Yeah, there was already a footprint of gravel there.
18:41 So, how many parking spots would that maybe like four or five? Yeah, four, five, four, five, six.
18:47 That parking lot goes down east, right?
18:51 It's plenty. If we put the gate there, that's going to that's really what people just don't want to walk all the way around from from there. So if we put
18:58 an entrance, a gate entrance there, that's gonna encourage people to Yeah. They'll be encouraged to, oh, I got an entrance right here. I could go
19:06 ahead and park there instead of the entrance way over by home plate.
19:10 So they'll have that feel of, oh, I'm I'm in the field. I'm, you know, I could get in there.
19:14 And that's where we were discussing if we were able to do like a playground, do it in that area. Um, you know, kind of as they come in, you know, something
19:22 inviting for families. Um, picnic tables.
19:25 Oh, picnic tables. That kind. more inviting the park over there and then if they wanted to do food trucks that parking lot like maybe as
19:33 they design or they stripe it again maybe they could stripe a couple like bigger parking you know an idea that we have
19:40 what other neighborhood impacts besides the parking situation well I know that one of the residents there is a a single older lady and she's
19:50 very concerned about traffic behind her house looking directly into her bedroom and her legendaries.
19:59 Oh, in the parking lot already.
20:01 Not in the parking lot, but the green space behind the green space behind the right field area.
20:06 So, Oh, but we don't want to expand that way center.
20:09 Yeah, that we don't want to like So, it won't expand west.
20:12 Yeah, we're not. No, it's it's literally I think like the the zip the telephone pole we were saying the footprints there. I think it would start at like
20:20 the middle of that first house that's already got, you know, a privacy fence there.
20:25 So, yeah, we there's no need to go into center field. Um, she did she did mention that or one of the ladies mentioned that she didn't
20:34 want people back there partying and loud music and all that. And we understand that. We get it.
20:40 Yeah. And you keep that zip tie. You're not going to encourage people parking there.
20:44 You were just talking about Yeah. Hi, This is the lady we were just speaking
20:50 of and she was concerned that the idea of parking behind her house, food trucks behind her house,
20:57 that's a total non-starter because this is somebody's backyard.
21:02 This is that whole area. We see that as a buffer to let um you know like the
21:09 people playing the games are having a good time. You know, they're screaming and yelling and that's great. They're having fun. There's nothing wrong with
21:18 that, okay?
21:19 But there's nothing wrong with us wanting to have that buffer there to give us a little space
21:27 so that it's not right in our house. You know, it's background noise back, you
21:34 know, away. But when you pave all that and and bring in people there and food truck, it's literally 24 steps from my bedroom window.
21:43 I got I I So, we kind of decided I think we're we're all in agreement. We don't want to expand like a pavement through all center fields.
21:53 Like we don't I I don't think we need to expand that. Like I I saw that during the council meeting and I saw the the entrance to I think it
22:01 was your house you were mentioning like that was like there's no need for that.
22:06 There's no need for that. I think the right field the the current um footprint of it if we could keep that and put a
22:14 gate. The food truck was something that was brought by the city but honestly and I think we did mention this if we were
22:22 to bring like for economic development like a a college team in the summer would be great. They would want
22:30 you know a concession stand behind home plate kind of thing which there was an original footprint of a concession stand. U because they would want to sell
22:38 their own food. They would want, you know, now is that if there's original footprint there I mean I mean yeah me growing up playing little league and farm league and stuff like that.
22:47 Yeah. That's where it was there. Yeah. And I didn't know that. I mean I I'm a transplant. So um I didn't know that but they they showed it
22:54 to us. I think John brought it up so we could try to recreate that. I think that's a great idea.
23:00 Yeah. You know every few any every complex you go to has their own little Yeah. because then they can bring their, you know, go to Costco, go to St.
23:07 and you don't have to worry about the food truck. Yeah.
23:09 I mean, if there's a special occasion, you know, that the city wants to do something and bring the food trucks for one day or a weekend, they could just park that, then then we
23:18 could figure out, but the issue is with the parking, of course, that other side of the street.
23:23 Yeah, you can't park. If that if we could figure something out, broom broom. Yeah. Whatever. That would take
23:31 that would help a lot. I so let's start let's start kind of transferring into what our priorities are. I think that if
23:39 we are all in agreement that we don't want to expand the essentially we're not expanding the footprint of the parking in the outfield. We all like want to mix
23:47 that idea. We don't want to advocate for that rendering that you saw.
23:50 We don't want to advocate. We're all in agreement with that. I think that as we start going through priorities for the field, which was the goal for today, I
23:58 do think that um a the plane surface is a big thing. B the street parking and I think you guys are all in agreement. You
24:07 like the idea of the street parking like you because I I know in Kentucky the we lived in a small suburb. They redid a
24:16 beautiful downtown a lot like like Clermont. Angle parking is what they did. you know, they brought some angle parking. It slowed everybody down, so
24:24 that street slowed down because you, you know, you're going to have to back up.
24:27 Uh, and he fit more cars in there. So, I think that that would be a great idea.
24:31 Um, the street's wide enough for it. East is Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Go down east.
24:36 Yeah. I think I think that that would be great. And then, but then as a result, we need to prioritize the netting because nobody's going to want to park
24:43 there, including myself, you know. Uh, I am guilty of parking in left field because I don't want my cars already got hit. I got it done, too. I already got dent.
24:51 You know, it's a little Tesla and oh my gosh, it took me a year to get it fixed.
24:55 I think there's something else like they um I'm sorry I don't remember your name.
25:00 The the idea of maybe possible college teams coming in or um this is a has been and
25:09 always probably will be a smaller park compared to the one that's at the
25:15 southwestern end I guess near off of 12th Street. There's that giant comp. I can't remember. Uh Keeler Park.
25:23 Yeah, that is a massive complex.
25:26 Massive complex with parking. Massive field. Then there's that massive new field with at least I think two diamonds
25:34 at the southeast edge of Clermont. At the south edge, southern edge of Clermont. And it's
25:42 brand new. So this this and so there are big nice this would be this would be um
25:51 think of a summer program for college baseball players. So it's not like a minor league team.
25:57 It's not like you're not I mean there's some teams that are doing this really well. Leburg is doing one and that's a good test case. They're called the Lightning.
26:05 Leburg St. Pete St. Pete uh West Orange at their high school they play it. Um yeah. Yeah. But but think these kids come.
26:13 It's only for the summer.
26:14 Yeah. It's only for the summer. It's for like a month and a half, two months.
26:18 And the community actually like sponsor them. They like like think Bull Durham.
26:22 You remember the show, you know, like like that was a minor league team. This is more like the Cape Cod League is is another famous college league. I played
26:28 college baseball. I played for for a team like this and I was hosted like so the community like we stay with the community like they do volunteer work
26:38 and then at night they play games like during the day they'll even in the summer they'll do camps to fundra a lot of these kids are from here too they're and a lot of them are they're
26:46 homegrown here especially the Leburg kids so and then they play each other right so they'll go to Leburg they'll go to St. compete. They'll go to uh West Orange has one.
26:56 So, it's a very small like kind of like a boutique type team.
27:01 It'll be no different than the main This is a weekend boutique. Yeah. Field.
27:07 Exactly. So, you're not going to You might get maybe 100 100 200 if it's sold out, right? Like Yeah. It's going to be like a high school game basically.
27:16 It's been operating Well, it was operating before I got here 36 years ago. it's been operating for, you know, and the idea of
27:24 making it better is just wonderful. I liked it the way it was when I got here.
27:28 I liked the way it was after the hurricanes, and I'm sure whatever we do now will be wonderful. I I think we're in agreement. I And this program would just give an extra bit of life.
27:38 It is.
27:38 Yeah. And which is I think is great.
27:40 Yeah. It would be like, you know, even when we were playing a lot of our night games, you know, on a big night, like a senior night, we'd have like a hundred
27:48 parents, 100, you know, it fills up and it feels up. It feels good. you know, it does.
27:52 And so I think that that's kind of what we we we could do with this summer team.
27:57 Um, how many games a week would they play? It depends on the league.
28:01 Two, three, two, but it could be away games, home games.
28:05 You could pick one, you could pick two, you could, but understand Bishop Field right now is the biggest baseball field in Clermont in Lake County.
28:13 It's being used like three times a day. It's bigger than Park Pals. Yeah, it is.
28:17 Um, dimension wise, dimension wise. Uh, let me see. Park Pals is the only baseball field around here. What's another field? It is.
28:25 The other one is a softball field. Yeah, we're not talking about complex.
28:30 Yeah, the biggest complex right now is Davenport.
28:33 They just built the one inland for the Little League, but again, that's Little League. That's Lake County.
28:38 Yeah. Bishop Field dimension wise, is the biggest baseball field. It would be if we do this right I already got
28:46 if we do this right I think that it would be a great community space and if we were to attract this is there's no
28:54 guarantee we can attract the college team although there there is a need to expand that league interest uh there's interest they want it you know
29:01 um I think it could be a really cool community thing if if if you guys are ever to look into the Leburg Lightning
29:09 it is something that they Leburg embraces and it's a really cool thing they They they have a bigger stadium.
29:15 They've been around longer and they do a lot of promotions and whatnot. And they have a horrible feel.
29:20 I know. I played there. Yeah. And uh the dugouts the dugouts I the only reason people go there is because they love the game and the seating the it's like a stadium.
29:31 The fans and stuff but for the ball players and it's the worst place to play but they still go. Wow. It's very historic.
29:40 Players. Yeah. Enjoy it. What draws people into that?
29:44 You got the way it works is you got every ball player as a kid wants to play high school ball. Most of them I
29:53 say every but they want to play high school from high school. They want to go to college and from college they want to go to the pros.
29:58 So this league is for college guys that still want to play are looking to get recruited.
30:07 former major leaguers that get released, they might be able to play in these leagues to get looked at. Another thing I was going to say, a lot of people
30:15 don't know it. There's a lot of professional baseball players in Clema.
30:20 A lot a lot. People do not know that.
30:21 But would they pick would they pick Bishop Park over some of the modern complexes?
30:27 100% because you cannot just go and play. If we if these plans are done in the field the
30:35 comp and Bishop is fixed and everything then we get hey we got a comp we want to make a league. We we want to make a team.
30:45 We want to we want to make a team and we want to put it in the league. They cannot say no.
30:50 And you get guys you know you get college ball players, former MLB players, minor leaguers that are still trying to get recruited.
30:59 Are the dimensions of the field perfect for we wouldn't have to expand the field for college? No.
31:07 No. No. And actually we we would change there was discussion of bringing back which I think would add to moving home playback.
31:14 Moving home play back 10 bigger that would make the dimensions perfect major league dimensions be 325 down the line. So so that that and plus the
31:23 closer you are to the back stop the less balls that are going into East Street.
31:26 Would you watch raised the fence back there? Is that something would do or is that I don't think there's a need.
31:33 I mean, are you guys getting baseballs in your in your yard?
31:36 You worried about then we can we can look down.
31:39 I have a baseball in my yard every week when I cut my grass.
31:44 It's already caused me over $250 worth of repairs to my lawnmower.
31:48 Well, then let's get some netting. We can get some netting and and raise it. Yeah.
31:51 And the men's league is not a metal aluminum bat. So my So there's so there's another option is and then you're you're talking about
32:00 coming out of left field like the ball's coming up the fence. So wait, I'm I'm trying to get a picture. Put a fence in.
32:05 So right.
32:06 Yeah, you only put a fence up left field.
32:09 I was going to I wasn't even going to say that. I was going to put a a second fence past past the home run. It's like a catchall.
32:17 Yeah. So the balls don't roll down the hill into your not going airborne. If balls are going in your yard, it's because one, they're
32:27 not hitting it. They're not reaching from home plate to your house. No, it's either they're um they're hitting from the outfield,
32:35 they're throwing ball, the literally the little guys are warming up and the ball's rolling down. There's no way. Yeah.
32:41 Not even Well, with the slope of everything, all they got to do is clear the fence.
32:44 I got If you put a secondary fence, that might that might alleviate the parking issue too over there.
32:53 because then they can't if there's a fence back there. Hey, we can't park the gate. So, close the gate.
32:58 If you Yeah. Right now, if this is the actual fence and you put a like he said, another fence back here, can't park.
33:04 And that's the other thing. This field's going to be And then you got really nice and and you're going to it's going to have to be secured, you know, because you don't you're not going to
33:12 want like if one of the ideas is turf, um which we're look we want organic turf, something that's not going to
33:19 cause cancer, obviously. Um but they you know when you say organic turf are we talking about organic grass or are we talking
33:27 about artificial artificial artificial organic infill? Infill. Yeah.
33:31 Instead of there's an issue with the turf it's going to send you cancer and things like that because they use certain turfs use recycled tires.
33:40 Recycled tires and they Yeah.
33:42 So at at Lake Felter Park where um installing artificial turf this fall on the multi-purpose field. There'll be organic info rather than a ground up time.
33:54 I motion we scratch that and just put that on Bishop right away and we could just dep prioritize and prior.
34:00 Um but so so I think that we're going to have to make sure we lock it down and make sure that you know or because with turf like with artificial turf you cannot use metal cleat. It'll tear it up.
34:11 And so um and even with regular rubber cleat like we're still going to have to factor in and budget for redoing home
34:18 plate the picture mount the whole players prefer there's no other choice. Oh, the
34:25 ter knows. Think of it right now. If you if you do whole grass, you're talking about home sprinkler system.
34:34 The the issue with the issue with the grass is here's here's the reality. The the budget's the budget and [snorts] in
34:42 order to m we're not going to be able to maintain it. We could tear the whole field out, start over, put a new sod, put new irrigation in, it'll look
34:50 beautiful in three years. It won't look very different than it is now.
34:53 Three years. that probably probably less than that, but I'm saying within three years it will look pretty much the same as it does now.
34:59 Yep. And then you need So that's why make some you need like right now the parks to fix a field every weekend during the week game stuff like that.
35:08 Turf you don't do nothing.
35:10 You said it for you have to maintain it but that's down the road.
35:13 Yeah. You do need to the pitcher mound's an issue around home plates an issue where it has to be but it's fixed
35:21 like a recarpet. Think of it like a carpet being restitched. Is this all funded 100% by city dollars or are there donations that Well, we can take No, it's not 100% funded by city dollars.
35:31 No, there's no there's no current funding. There is a grant application for $500,000 that's in. It's being evaluated. Um there's no formal funding currently.
35:42 You said we have an international sprinkler manufacturer in Clermont Senator 950.
35:51 But then you're adding more water to go every day from our lake which is you need water from Crystal Lake. It's already low right now.
36:01 That's what it's called. And they have to answer you.
36:05 I if everything was ideal, we would want grass.
36:09 Yeah. Well, I'm just saying if money's option is and and to regrass that would probably be like 150 grand more or you think more.
36:17 Yeah. I mean, without the sprinkler, but I'm saying like, you know, so let's say it's a quarter a million, right? But then the maintaining piece and that's
36:24 where like my biggest thing that I'm advocating safety like it right now it's a safety issue. The plane surface is a safety issue.
36:32 Yeah. Like uh John John um he's a scout.
36:35 His son just signed to to uh Jacksonville I believe or University of North Florida and he was saying that he didn't want to take ground balls. My son we were taking ground balls this summer.
36:45 He took two to the face. Right. So uh like it's they practice there every week. I mean it and it's because there's no one there to
36:53 maintain most and on the weekends like I said the high school plays how many times a week? Uh four days a week, five days a week.
37:00 Do they fix the field before the like you guys are talking?
37:04 There's Pal, there's Hancock, there's Park and there's Bishop Field like the same crew maintaining all of it. So there's not somebody that can just sit there and manicure B.
37:14 We we don't so if we request it request field they will fix and then when we're done when we're done
37:21 playing they take the field and right now there's this last spring let's just say let's last spring there was three teams using the field in
37:29 one night every night so like so it would be let's just say this was and I'm just gonna paint the picture
37:36 we would have the field 3:30 it would be done by the team by the by the city great it was done great we mess it We
37:44 don't have because of liability and whatnot the ability to fix the field like red drag it right is what they call it afterwards to prepare for the next team.
37:54 They don't have it. So then by the time they got it because they had the late shift it it was torn up. So to give you an idea the mound
38:02 you there's a hole and you can see the bock like the white piece and and people complain the city fixes it but then by the end of the night it's
38:10 gone. That's the thing. And I get that all the time. Well, and it's not their fault. It's just we can't fix it ourselves.
38:17 So, that the field is set at the start of the day, but unless you guys unless
38:25 unless you guys are going to come in and pay for somebody that's gonna that's going to maintain the fields between every game and repack the mounds, it's not going to get done.
38:35 So, we can do it, but you guys got to pay for it. So, that that is what it is.
38:39 [clears throat]
38:40 another option if we like so Leburg Leburg the city of Leburg has done a um they have they have delegated some of
38:49 that to the high school high school's kind of taking ownership of it they clean it up so u and actually we play two different high schools that play there Leburg High
38:57 is actually the one in charge so when we play uh first academy Leburg they'll be a representative from Leburg High that kind of helps like drag the field
39:06 and kind of take ownership of it no turf course none of the none of In fact, all the high schools maintain their field. They're all It's a right of passage.
39:14 Yeah. After the game, the ball players have to fix the field, rake the field, whatever. Here's the thing when you're saying it. Yeah.
39:20 Once you start playing and it rains, you're done.
39:24 Today, it's done. I had to cancel practice.
39:25 That's it. You're done. Because it rains just a little bit. Why? Because it's not maintained a certain.
39:30 But if it's But if it's artificial turf, once it stops rain, we're good.
39:34 As long as long as there's no lightning, go out and play. And they even they even sell baseballs that are not leather that we use that that that even if it's wet we could play for practice.
39:42 You use leather balls.
39:44 No, got that money. Yeah.
39:46 So my point was just if if the desire was to go real turf and finances was an issue both for the install and maintenance.
39:56 There may be opportunities with the local manufacturers that's proud to be in Clermont. I don't know what the promotion budgets look like, their philanthrop philanthropic
40:04 um legs of their company do. I don't know. But there's potential there, right? And I know you guys said that South Lake and the schools don't have a
40:12 turf management course or anything like that, but maybe I don't know, maybe uh Lake Tech does or one of the other smaller colleges around
40:21 that that they need hours or something for. I know that's extra work. Have to dig in, find details, but that's just an idea to put out there. But I get I get
40:29 all the points that you made. I just listen and and I'll tell you guys artificial turf's going to be at least a million dollars more than if we redid the field.
40:38 Yeah.
40:39 What's the ROI on that? Like how you know how I remember in the meeting they were saying that if it was grass they would have to replace it every so often.
40:48 And when it's the actual artificial turf they do it mean it's longer but they still have to replace that. Right.
40:56 depends on the wear and tear of how much 10 years. Yeah. At least most the mound, but the reason that happens is because
41:05 you got, like you said, you got somebody who sneak it with metal cleats. That's a no no. Same thing at home at home plate.
41:12 No metal cleat. That's why you can said if this is done, yeah, you're going to have someone there. It's going to be at the keeping an eye, making sure that hey, no
41:21 metal clean. You know, there's always signs every everywhere you go that there's turf, there's signs. They got no metal cleans and no uh no seeds.
41:29 No seats. Why? Because nobody goes around with a vacuum cleaner to clean, you know, but people still And the turf has, you know, like the
41:37 pebbles that he was talking about that that tire.
41:40 Yeah, the tires. Uh these this is new turf. Like when we started playing it was like carpet. Like it was horrible.
41:46 It was like this is poorest and so you know so it's it's better for the teams it's better for the field and
41:54 better long run it's going to be more economical for the city yeah because right now there's just no way um to maintain it and and they I
42:02 guess it's liability that we can't take ownership to do it is and and it will bring other opportunities like you guys are talking about with the college teams and
42:10 and other other type of stuff so it brings additional opportunities to the quality of field I Yeah, we have um major league ball players that come to
42:19 the facility and they wanted to go to Bishop. They wanted a pitch. They wanted, you know, because it's bigger and once they saw that mound, they're like, they can't do it.
42:28 Who is maintaining all of the other ballparks? It's the same. It's the same crew.
42:32 It's the same. No, it's a it's a it's a the city contracts [snorts] a crew that maintains all the athletic
42:39 fields, but is the same crew that does Bishop Field, that does West Park, that does PAL, that does Felter, that does Hancock. So
42:48 So Bishop is Bishop is Yes, they're maintained at the same level. Bishop is one field. They obviously have 15 other
42:56 fields that they have to go to. They have to mow the soccer fields and line fields and all that. So again, they're not they're going and they're going to
43:05 set that field in the morning and they're going to drag it and they're going to pack the mound and they're going to line it if there's a game and then they're going to go and they're going to take care of the next field and and that's how it's going to go all day.
43:16 And again, unless unless a using group, if there's multiple games and multiple groups, unless a group wants to pay for
43:23 the guys to stay and drag and pack the mounds between games, then yeah, like we said, by the by the third game, yeah,
43:32 the mountains, the mounds trash. Home batteries are trash.
43:37 And like I said, once it rains, that's it. And and not knocking the This is Florida. It rains
43:43 [clears throat]
43:45 the people that maintain the field. They do the basic. They'll just if there's a hole in most of the time if in the
43:52 pitching mount a hole de develops. All they do is put sand on and pack it. That's it.
43:57 And same thing with the lines. They line.
43:59 So this is what they've been doing for the last 40 50 years.
44:03 Well, no. Yeah. Because turf there was 40 years ago there was no turf.
44:06 This is what's been happening for the last 40 years. They were supposed to be clay.
44:10 I don't see what the problem and we can put a boat on it. So [snorts] forever the team that uses it would be
44:19 responsible to maintain it the moment the game is over because of liability. Anybody a lawyer in here? I mean
44:28 you know society we live in we can't do that. We can't like they cannot empower us to fix the field when we're done. Then the next team that
44:37 takes over right after us fix it after they're done. So essentially there's no way to maintain it in between games and
44:44 it wears and tears. It has to be done immediately.
44:47 You know if South Lake High School it's their field and they're the only ones playing on it and the coach says after the game
44:54 rape the field the field that's their field.
44:58 Okay. But what I'm asking is Tampa we we I mean I grew up is this an issue that came up this year or is this the same issue that's been going on for 40 years? It's been go it's
45:07 been going on since whatever the ruling changed maybe like five years ago, six years ago that that the teams can't maintain it themselves.
45:14 You know, I think in the committee meeting that we had a month and a half ago, the little league was complaining about it too. I mean, it's it's a liability issue and I get that. I mean, I I get that
45:22 you essentially took the rake away from me. I can't maintain I can't raing, you know, to maintain the field for [clears throat] us.
45:29 You Okay, so here's an idea. You know, the seventh inning stretch. How many everybody heard of the seventh inning stretch? like take me out to the ballpark, right? Do you know why they do that?
45:38 Is because they take that time to have the field crew come in and drag the field to kind of reset it to finish the game.
45:44 So that that's that the principle of that's for professional teams. That's the problem.
45:48 Exactly. And that's the whole point of Brian why we're advocating field is a professional field.
45:53 I know. But it takes the same maintenance. It it does.
45:56 When I have a kid on there and he's trying to pitch and then he twistes his ankle because the mound wasn't maintained. You just said your kid fielding.
46:03 Yeah. Hey, you got to face. I I got kids to the face.
46:06 I don't even want kids on that mound until I get it prepped. Until I schedule to get it prepped because I don't want them to get hurt.
46:12 Didn't you say something in the meeting about the type of clay? Uhlay Jeff me or you mentioned it. Yeah.
46:19 That that the it's it's clay. It's supposed to be clay, but they'll put clay on top and
46:26 then they'll put sand on it in sand because the mound is supposed to be treated a certain way. You just can't
46:34 put clay and pack it. It's supposed to have bricks.
46:38 Yeah. There's there's actual actually companies out there that they specialize in pitching mounts and they tear up the whole mound.
46:45 They put the they put the the bricks.
46:48 Yeah. So, it's supposed to have bricks and then after after a while you put clay on. You have to put clay set.
46:55 It's like putting it's like putting pavers in your house.
46:57 But honestly, it's the maintenance the deferred maintenance of not being able to maintain it every single in between each game. Not every day because they
47:06 the city's great. It's but they're not there 247, right? So, that's if I go rent out uh Lake Mella Fields,
47:14 it's controlled by Lake County. Um the Mac they're there. So yeah, the MAC so they're there. So if I have an issue with the field, they'll maintain it.
47:24 They're they're right there up in their office and they come out. Okay, I'll take care of that.
47:28 They won't even wait. And if they see anything that's not supposed to be, they shut it down. They'll go in the field
47:35 and they'll shut it down. They have a different model. I mean they have their office built into they have people walking around a little bit different things
47:43 but they do have six fields five fields they do the dimensions of those fields different than yeah that field's a lot smaller
47:50 it's the infield is the only difference is the fence is close yeah it's close is
47:58 we talk about drainage how does this how does this uh I mean it would have it would have to be redone it's it drains they have grass or turf?
48:08 Turf they put drainage under artificial there would probably have to go through St. John's and there would probably need to be a retention
48:16 pond probably in center field past the fence because they will have to address that.
48:23 Yes, it would be addressed.
48:27 Does the city have a planning engineering department?
48:30 Um, I think that's contract. It goes down to our lake.
48:38 Oh no, they put French come underneath the so that's not that's above my pay to Brian.
48:47 So again to there's part of the bas there's the basic contract that they set the fields once if the
48:56 groups want to pay the hourly rate to have the staff come back to be at the field and and maintain it between games they can.
49:06 So, if I have a game, I would probably get it prepped. But if it's just practice, I'm not going to pay for it to get prepped.
49:14 So, because it's it cost it increases my team's cost.
49:18 Next people, the next people would pay to have Yeah. So, like he would have it at 3:30, then the team in between that 5:30 would have it, and then I show up at 7:30 and
49:27 the field is And that's that's the usage right now because there's such a need. It's just going to cost them.
49:32 Well, and not only that, there's also a time I mean the timing issue. Yeah.
49:36 If it's How can this be an issue if it's been go How have we cured it for the last 30 40 years?
49:44 Well, I think that we haven't because we we I would say how long is the policy maybe been going on for like five, six
49:52 years. So, um the the fact that we're not allowed to maintain it in between
49:59 like a normal team like before it was the this there was Clermont High used to use it, right? So, they would maintain the field, right? Like their
50:08 own high school would maintain it. Um that that's just the I mean it's it's like immediately has to be addressed after every game, sometimes in the
50:15 middle of the game. So, it's just not feasible. That's why I think we're we're advocating for turf because The other
50:22 thing is that there's not that many big ballparks, so there is a big demand and baseball's really popular in this area.
50:29 So, uh, and then there's economic opportunities like the college team. The other thing is in the spring there's high schools from all over that come
50:38 down here and actually there's I don't know if you guys are aware of it, but they're I get the emails as a coach.
50:44 They they're already planning for next spring break and they come and they stay and so if we get you you All you have to
50:52 do is connect with those and we can discuss this later. They'll they'll start booking the field. Yes. At a premium, you know, and they'll play and they'll
51:00 play during the day, so it's not going to affect the local teams like we play in the afternoons and at night because it's their spring break which is different. So, um like there's opportunities for that. Right.
51:10 Right now in Davenport, they they have a juke league. That's right. In the spring. It's a Yeah, it's a junior college.
51:18 It's freezing up north. So, guess what?
51:20 Let's go to Florida all over for two or three weeks. Yeah.
51:24 At Davenport, it is packed during the day.
51:27 One game after another game after snowbirds ball, they want to come down here. Yeah.
51:34 And you know, but they can't do that at Bishop. They're not going to do that because again the fields park pals too small.
51:42 So that's why they do it in Davenport.
51:44 and Davenport right now they they're all turf and Auburnale they put their community I mean every weekend there's a there's a
51:52 baseball tournament there we're going to be there this weekend so um so the my whole point is if we turf it the use will be done it will
52:00 help alleviate the parks team which is going to be needed elsewhere right I mean it's going to make a bigger impact um but B it's going to be safe that's
52:09 the key it's going to be safe because right now it's not safe I think this is a drainage pond for a ball field of that size. Do we have those figures? Because there's not
52:17 a lot more space to work with and everything is slanted.
52:22 The slanted the Now, I'm not I'm not an engineer, but the slanted would help it.
52:27 And because it's natural drainage, but they would they would drain it into that pond. It's really a matter just how how deep and how wide they could go.
52:38 Mike's house and our house. We had videoed the last couple days of the rain and it is torrential and their driveways
52:45 are are getting washed out. So adding additional drainage, Chris and Mike's driveways are going to be gone.
52:52 I would sus I would suspect, but no, without guaranteeing anything on video, I would suspect that a retention pond
53:01 could help that part of the that would catch everything that's actually coming from the That's ending up.
53:09 Is it a field? Is there a drainage now in the field under the field?
53:15 To be to be honest though, most all of that drainage comes down imperous surfaces. It doesn't really pour off of
53:24 the the sand because I mean it's Florida sugar sand out there. So, it sucks the water like a sponge.
53:34 and and but and the and I'm not an expert in turf construction, but it's like layers of sand underneath it like and there's drainage and it and it acts a lot like I said it acts like real
53:43 grass. That's why it has these pebbles that that would be like ideal if it helped the water drainage situation instead of having
53:51 it's not going to it gets designed it gets it's not going to add it will get designed to drainage is part of the design.
53:59 Yeah, I have just a few questions as I've been absorbing all of this and Nathan maybe you can um
54:07 shed some light to help me understand some things. Um I'm just I'm looking at the email that has the our what we're
54:15 tasked with as a committee. Um one of the things on here was uh number four increase Major League Baseball grant
54:23 opportunities. Um am am I understanding right that if if we're able to
54:31 bring it to bring the field to a level that would interest in college teams.
54:36 Does that play into that or No, that was referencing restoring the field to it historic significance. So it
54:44 says uh be designed in a way that preserves the historic value of Clermont, support the use by Clermont residents, maintain the field as a
54:52 baseball field without adding extensive parking or other uses to the site, and increase major league baseball grant opportunities, and consider the
55:01 infrastructure needs associated with the site's gateway location. Um I obviously city is going to be working
55:11 the budget and and all of that. I'm just curious how our recommendations will play to, you know, do we have a
55:20 comparison of what the the long range 20-year uh financial
55:28 commitment would be for both of these and what additional uh what do you mean by both of these?
55:36 Either turf or grass. Um because if you get grass obviously there's a lot more maintenance in that to to keep that
55:44 going resolding fertilizer time can't play on the field.
55:48 Yeah. You're talking about on a field to maintain to maintain a field bishop field of that size at a stature we would
55:58 want if we were going to do it right like you're talking about4 to $50,000 a year of maintenance on the
56:06 field which isn't happening right now. I can tell you that this contract's nowhere near that amount [clears throat] to support that for one year. But to do
56:14 that field to that level, you're talking 40 $50,000 a year versus 1.5 million for
56:22 artificial turf for 10 years, 10 to 12 years. And then but then you're also talking about the other factors of
56:28 quality of play um not having any shutdown times being able to play right after it rains being able to have games from 8 in the morning till 9 at night.
56:40 What are the additional costs associated with the retention pond that would be
56:47 that would be I should and I and I want to take the retention pond back a little bit. I want to because I can't guarantee that. I'm not an engineer at that level
56:55 to know, but there is a drainage plan that goes with the artificial turf. I'm thinking of the Felter Park um
57:02 artificial turf that's going in now and they're draining into the existing retention pond and that's where the retention pond came to my mind. I can't tell you that there will definitely be a
57:11 retention pond. I can tell you there will be a drainage plan, but it'll be part of the install. So when I say ballpark figure of 1.5 million, it it's
57:20 all in because if if it if that plan ends up going into the Crystal Lake, that definitely goes to St. John's.
57:29 Yeah. And I don't know. I don't Does that require additional approvals?
57:33 St. I'm sure St. John should be I'm sure St. John would be part of the approval process when you go through through the permitting to put in an artificial turf
57:42 field like that. It usually goes through St. John's. Brian, let me ask you in relation to the artificial turf and
57:49 versus grass conversation, do you know what we spend on water for grass over there every year?
57:57 I I I don't know. Okay. Public public service handles the irrigation. Okay.
58:03 So, I mean, obviously turf would be preferable. I'm just curious. And what I think the ROI is there. It's I I was a
58:12 turf skeptic for years, but just seeing, you know, um so I if we could, you know, because there there was there used to be
58:20 injuries with the old turf. I mean, it was horrible.
58:22 Uh I mean, it was horrible. Uh so I actually decided to go to a different college that had natural turf because of
58:29 that, you know, because the old turf was like there was an injury. So it's a lot more
58:37 natural. Um, but I do think that the ROI is there like where the maintenance cost plus the other thing you're not is is um
58:45 is the fact that you're going to have to reg grass or re turf it every four or five years, you know, resaw it um and
58:54 then water and whatnot. So, so I think that's what we I would want to advocate for. Um, what's it going to cost the city in
59:01 another 10 years? Like what what's whatever the market I don't know what inflation's going to be, you know, is it get in place. You're right. Well, million or is it less than that?
59:12 It it wouldn't be because if you're replacing the turf, the infrastructure is already there. So, you're just repl
59:19 maintenance if any if any home plate maybe home plate and that's like every two or three years. It's a strip. Yeah, it's a strip.
59:27 And yeah, to beat a dead horse, I have been here for 36 years.
59:32 They have not, to my acknowledge, receded, much less resided that field since I've lived here.
59:40 They see and it looks almost as nice as my yard, which gets tender loving care. Well, the front yard does.
59:46 Backyard, I'll let go by itself. The backyard looks, which I leave just alone, no fertilizer, no sprinklers.
59:53 Looks just as good as that park does.
59:55 And to my knowledge, and I used to walk my dog there twice a day, it's never been seated. It's never been sold.
1:00:05 It's uh in 36 years.
1:00:06 I know. But we're discussing to the infield is the biggest priority. In fact, we were discussing this before as far as just like before this project
1:00:15 kicks off, can we, you know, hopefully they resold a little bit, but they resaw periodically. They're resing all the time.
1:00:21 Yes. I mean, they they've they've maintained it. Yeah, they're maintaining it. Well, it's never been cut.
1:00:28 I've never seen it torn up. I've never seen anything lifted up.
1:00:32 Let's do some homework tonight. When you drive by the field, what's that?
1:00:35 Let's do some homework tonight. When you drive by the field, I want you to kind of eye on the the pitcher mount.
1:00:41 There's a white block. You're going to see the white block like this.
1:00:45 That's not supposed to be exposed. It's supposed to be flat and you put your foot over it. Right now, it's here. And literally like I've seen kids like we
1:00:54 had a kid that that broke his ankle because of that because you can rip it out if you can rip it out.
1:00:58 You can take it out, you know. So it's supposed to be buried under it. It's exposed.
1:01:01 The turf is just the infield, not the outfield.
1:01:04 All of it. It's all of it. There is the there is all the way to the fence.
1:01:08 All the way to the fence. There is a a study an option to just do the infield, but then you get kids that will want to wear the metal and then you got to
1:01:16 police that. And if we're going to do it, let's just do it right. Let's break, you know, because if you play in the outfield, you prefer to use Yeah, cuz turfs are like almost like
1:01:24 running shoes basically, like Yeah. So, um, so yeah, I think we're going to do it. Let's do it right. Let's turf it.
1:01:32 Um, but back to the priorities, the other idea, and I think, and this I would love to take of of the neighborhood. Um, we were all kind of in
1:01:41 in agreement that the shell, keep the shell and just re, you know, redo renovate the inside of it, right?
1:01:49 Instead of like we had seen some renders where they were just going to knock it all down and try to redo the stadium. I like the idea of the historic if we can.
1:01:57 There's two locker rooms there which would help. Uh, like we have teams that come from like two hours away to play us in our high school. It's nice that they can have a visiting locker room which is
1:02:05 in there is a footprint there that's all underneath underneath it's in the footprint so it's just redoing the grandstand and the the idea that was thrown out there is in the
1:02:13 minutes um was um we would put chair backs in the front okay and then the the upper part would just be stadium it's a
1:02:21 lot like like the one in Leburg's like that and um and then the concession stand right but as far as like
1:02:28 priorities because that we do need to start getting along with this meeting as far as like the priorities is the surface has to be the number one thing that that that has I mean it's an injury
1:02:37 thing and and it's a wear and tear. We have so many teams playing on it right now.
1:02:41 We're operating on it. We do prefer turf, but we're not we're not going to be like Yeah. So, if we can if we I would say if we list the surface first,
1:02:51 then the the the the biggest concern I think kicked off this was um the grand stand. I mean, there's they literally like blocked it off. I don't know if you guys seen it.
1:03:03 dangerous.
1:03:03 It's dangerous. Yeah. And so you you can have a nice ball field, but if you don't got a grand standard locker and bathrooms that are clean, that's true.
1:03:12 So surface first, grandstand second, and then and then the the pearls, I guess the the So your dugouts and your your bolts and stuff, would you do that next?
1:03:22 Yes, that's part of that's part of the grand stand.
1:03:25 I think that's part of Or you could actually put that fieldwise also. Yeah.
1:03:29 Okay. So that's included. Yeah, I think you would put that in the fieldwise because you could do that and that's the other the use case,
1:03:37 right? Like so timing wise, right? If we get this green lit and funded like the hope would be maybe to start at the end of the high school season next spring
1:03:46 because in the summer it's kind of like where it's dead unless we attract a college team.
1:03:50 So let's say we spend that summer to upgrade the field first and then you know you could still play while you're doing the stadium, right? You just
1:03:58 blocked it off. Don't let anybody, you know, don't let anybody sit there. They can sit in right field, right? Like, you know, in the meantime, right? They get
1:04:05 their long chairs over there. So, um question, Nathan, I don't know if uh
1:04:13 Oh, James May. Um would the additional parking on Broom,
1:04:20 would that end up falling under project, one of our priorities, or could that be kind of handed off to his department? I
1:04:28 don't I don't think that I don't think I don't think we want to talk about parking and and I mean other than other
1:04:36 than what's in right field and when we talk about in right field east street and broom and all that that touches a different project that's different I think we just want to stay
1:04:45 that question that's not one of our priorities but the biggest thing is that we can address on the field is the netting because we do the netting more people will park on the street on on east
1:04:54 street that already has parking designated so so what would be our third priority then Would it would it be the locker rooms and concessions or
1:05:02 Yeah, the concession stand that would be built.
1:05:04 Excuse me. Yeah, Nathan. The reason I said that is because I'm thinking that that's two different two completely different funding sources
1:05:12 that I would think that any parking on Broom or East Street or anything that's that's part of a streets plan versus
1:05:19 versus whatever this is as part of a park. Well, just so you know, since you weren't able to be there, the the deal
1:05:26 was on the on Broom. Right now, you have a bunch of signs say no parking anywhere.
1:05:32 Okay. Yet, it's a natural place for one people wanting to park on one side of the street. I'm always scared to tell me.
1:05:40 Right. Right. And so, um, so the idea is to take advantage of that so that there wasn't a need to find parking elsewhere was to put it on the street.
1:05:49 I think that's a great idea. slows the cars down going in the street for whatever and that's just and that's just an adjustment of whether we allow parking there or not. That's not the sign.
1:06:00 It's not substantial in ter the the priorities really had to do with it's going to cost a heck of a lot to do
1:06:08 right and so that's that and then we have the other components of of the baseball operation. Okay. What goes
1:06:16 beyond that are things like when you're talking playground. Yeah. Over in right field.
1:06:25 Um to put a um some sort of additional structure or something that sort of uh you immediately your eyes are drawn to
1:06:33 it as you come up off 50 on east. You say, "Oh, this is right now." You know, you don't really know exactly what it is.
1:06:41 You could even add what we spoke about bleachers behind first base down the line. Yeah. behind third base down the line.
1:06:49 Yeah.
1:06:50 Regular netting netting. Exactly. So, you know, everybody, you don't have to have everybody.
1:06:57 And that's a great point. We that that could be a third party like just temporary bleachers that could be, you know, if they ever needed to get rid of them
1:07:04 while they're doing the uh maybe we bring that in while they redo that and then keep them there. And um is there a scoreboard there?
1:07:12 Well, we put that in there. That's a priority. Yeah.
1:07:15 Real quick, if you want to bring anybody And I I don't remember any scoreboard. So you guys do it like old school sign.
1:07:22 Oh, you don't you don't even want to know. We we bought one off Amazon that I bring in and out. We have a mom that does gauge.
1:07:29 So it's a scoreboard under grand stands or surface or that's part of the field.
1:07:33 That would be part of the field. That would be that would be Yeah.
1:07:36 And hey, I just want to make sure I have the correct uh priorities because So number one is turf. Correct.
1:07:44 The surface. Yes.
1:07:45 Turf surface. And then a a fast follow after that would be the dugouts and the scoreboard. So basically the the the
1:07:53 well the grandstand if we have to knock it into three phases. The grandstand would I because I would do the I would do the the dugouts with the fields.
1:08:04 Let's not we're not talking about the order that the construction takes place. Okay. Talking about what needs to happen. I got the surface has to be first.
1:08:12 Surfaces first.
1:08:13 Surfaces first. The ground. Do we agree on turf as if to be brutally honest with everybody
1:08:20 um part of this project the grandstand was the project wasn't even going to be the field was going to be like yeah we
1:08:28 might get to that but the grandstand is the thing that needs to be because it was falling apart. Yeah. So I would do the field surface because it is a priority in Miami.
1:08:37 And do we all agree as a group turf?
1:08:42 I think I mean I I'm going to I think that's what we lead with. What do you guys think? It'll make a difference. I prefer it.
1:08:50 Yes. Because it would allow you would separate Clermont from all these places. Correct. That's true. I would be able to have practice.
1:08:57 Okay. That's would my question is would the the grand stands be low hanging fruit though? Would that be something?
1:09:04 And I I don't know building stuff and you guys know baseball field stuff. So as far as a
1:09:11 timeline goes to to get these things done. Would we be able to do these things concurrently? Is the grains because I mean if you build it they will come, right?
1:09:20 I mean if we have the funding they can do it all. Depends on the construction.
1:09:24 It's going to depend on who we're working with. But one way to look at it is that the design process and the funding process is not a linear track.
1:09:33 It is a circular thing where we have to come up with what is our ideal ideal.
1:09:40 Once again, we've been hearing from the users.
1:09:42 What do they care about? They care about that field being, you know, usable by the folks that they're coaching up. Um, and so we just got to come up with the
1:09:51 ideal and then sort of and what we're supposed to be doing. is prioritizing what those things are. Even though it
1:09:59 may have started off, let's say with a need to we've got to fix the the seating, you know, we got to do that.
1:10:07 It ends up being, okay, well, actually, we need to fix some things along the way. One of which was the idea of pulling the field, you know, closer in to the grand stand.
1:10:19 Um and and so that we could have a the dimensions the major league dimensions major league dimensions 325 which I think stinks because then you
1:10:27 know if you're a young kid you didn't hit the home run got but I'm not a I'm not a voter but the
1:10:35 point the point is is that we've got to go around and sort of try our best okay what is our ideal scenario then we get the additional information that you're
1:10:44 looking for. Oh my gosh we can't find a funding source for the what are we going to do now? And maybe that we come back and say, well, we got to fix the grand stand in the near term.
1:10:54 I was just trying to get an idea of the scope of what priorities, what what are we actually looking at? So, surface then grandstands
1:11:02 Brian and Zay you were labeling all the ones. Is that right? You I have a list, but you could go.
1:11:10 Well, so those were so we I have surface um grandstand and then priority three was netting. Yeah, that was most recently discussed.
1:11:19 Expensive. Wait, the netting could be expensive.
1:11:21 And so what what I want clarification on is for the surface and turf. Yes.
1:11:26 Um is if we were to pull it back, would that all be part of the same kind of thing to make it a major league stadium?
1:11:32 So that would all be as and the pulling it back is not going to add cost. I mean, you're just reallocating the space that's there already. So
1:11:40 I figured as much. I just wanted to make sure. So we have three priorities right now. Turf is number one or the surface.
1:11:48 Uh priority two is the grand stand and does that include the historic facade?
1:11:53 I and that's something we need to discuss. I think we keep the facade.
1:11:59 I mean your construction isn't the shell.
1:12:01 Basically keep the shell and do a facade. Keep the cinder block.
1:12:05 Okay. I see what we're saying. Instead of like leveling it and rebuilding the whole structure, keep the structure, right? Change the facade. Yeah.
1:12:12 Yeah. Okay. Okay. And then there's room underneath the bleachers, right? For there's two lockers would have to Yeah, the bleachers are all going to have to be knocked out.
1:12:20 So, basically what would have to happen is it's going to get hollowed out and you'll have your U-shaped cinder block wall that's left.
1:12:26 So, and you just change up the side to pretty it up on the outside, but then rebuild this the structure underneath it.
1:12:31 Is that going to add more cost than if we leveled it and redid the whole Probably not.
1:12:36 I don't think it's not a facility that's up and running somewhere that's 30 years old. It's just a shell.
1:12:44 I don't think there's a reason to level. It's fine.
1:12:47 I I just saw because that that during that council meeting they brought like plans to level the whole thing and we're like keep the historic piece of it. You know,
1:12:55 is the concession stand going to be involved in that project or is that could be a separate building?
1:13:00 So, there's a footing where if you're looking at the shell on the left side, there's literally like a foundation where there was a small concession stand there.
1:13:09 So we discussed that were the woman's the ladies room.
1:13:14 No, no, no. It was actually on the other side on the men's side.
1:13:16 Yeah. Yeah. John John on the broom street.
1:13:20 On the broom street side. But then there was discussion about a separate bathroom on the lady's side like a separate you know so we we could figure that out. I mean there had to plan it.
1:13:29 There was even talk about bathrooms inside the locker room.
1:13:33 There is bathrooms in there. I mean, there's a bathroom for the for there's the two single ones, right? And then there is still another bathroom for the locker room.
1:13:42 So, there's room in there. I mean, I think there's space under the bleachers, too. Void that locker room.
1:13:48 Yeah, there there's locker rooms in there.
1:13:49 Right now, that's where they keep all the the maintenance. They keep this nice. It's been a while since I've been in that grand stand, but I think there
1:13:56 is space between that wall that is and the bottom of the seats where you could you there might be opportunity for more
1:14:04 space to be right now.
1:14:09 Oh, I listen I love the history of it. I think if we could put a facade that that tweaks it up, use some rod iron. Keep like the look.
1:14:18 You put a plug.
1:14:18 Um Yeah. You put a plug.
1:14:21 Yeah. Yeah. I I think that I think we're all in agreement that we want to keep the historic aspect of it. So Brian, are you what are your categories of what needs to be
1:14:30 surface, the grandstand, dugouts, netting, scoreboard, restroom, and concession, and then keeping the historic field dark, broad iron.
1:14:42 We have I think we didn't talk about the lights. you do.
1:14:44 I was just going to that was going to be part of another project, but that project got cut
1:14:51 real quick. So, just uh so we're able to um address the netting. So, I want to get into details on that a little bit.
1:14:59 Sure.
1:15:00 Where are the priorities for netting specifically?
1:15:03 I I would put the netting with the grandstand like right a fast well right after the grand stand. The grand stand has to be done.
1:15:09 Let me rephrase my question. Where for the netting is priority? So the the netting would be So the the grandstand would the back stop has to be renetted.
1:15:18 Right now it's there's literally a piece of rod iron that's about to fall a there's a there's a it's just floating there. I'm waiting for it to fall and impale somebody.
1:15:28 Right. There's a pole where it's rotted out.
1:15:31 So um that would all be the back stop would be renetted.
1:15:35 So that's the priority number one of the netting is the back stop. Okay. Now the extended netting where it can get costly as you're going down the file line.
1:15:45 That's what I'm asking. Yeah, that's a that's would be after the grand stand.
1:15:49 So would that be part of priority three or would that be I would say part of priority three after the grand stand because the grand stand is falling apart too. Fix that.
1:15:58 You guys wanted to extend the bugouts. You guys wanted to double bug out.
1:16:02 Yeah, I guess considered part of the sur. Would you include field layout with the surface?
1:16:11 I mean, yeah.
1:16:12 Yeah. I mean, if you're going to redo it, you got to redo the dugouts while you're doing the surface because if not, you're going to have a hole that you're gonna, you know, or you're going to pay for
1:16:19 I guess the I guess to me it's like the field and the dugouts are separate as far as you can do the field and not do the dugouts.
1:16:29 Yeah.
1:16:29 But if you're going to do the dugouts, you're going to do it the same times.
1:16:33 Exactly. So, that's Exactly. because you're if not you're going to either you're in a turf area that you don't need a turf because you're going to put a dugout there.
1:16:39 I don't think the dugouts are I don't think the dugouts are going to be an expense that's going to make or break the project. That would be Yeah. A few years ago you guys roofed
1:16:47 it. They didn't even have a roof on one of the dugouts. So yeah. So that that should be when you're done and this is all like
1:16:54 beautiful and new. um are you going to have a sign with like rules and regulations or are you going to who's going to teams coming in and whether
1:17:03 they're following the rules to maybe So I I think that's one thing we discussed. We discussed gating. So
1:17:10 gating the actual surface gating and that's something we need to discuss because probably a fourth priority would be like the playground
1:17:18 and that area and so do you leave it open as a park? I I say you don't. You just only have it open when when people are renting the field.
1:17:27 One of the concerns is access, right?
1:17:31 You still want residents to have access to the field.
1:17:35 So, in order to do that, you're going to have to monitor it because if you lock it up, you're just going to you're just going to upset everybody and it's not going to be.
1:17:44 The other thing is is and and want to be realistic about this is is fences keep the honest people out.
1:17:50 They do. If you're going to put barb wire on the fences, which I don't think we want to do, um that that kids are kids are going to climb the fence and go on the field regardless of We can't stop.
1:17:59 No, we can't stop.
1:18:00 Park pals. If you're on the field when you're not supposed to get Yeah. But that doesn't mean that they don't go. I mean, listen, we we
1:18:09 Hancock Park Hancock Park, the soccer fields. Yeah.
1:18:13 They get lock they get locked for a couple months over. filter filter lock that multi for them they just jump the
1:18:21 fence it's so we'll just I think I think I I agree and we do want I mean there's it's a community people come and use the batting cages
1:18:29 I think we're we're just going to have to monitor the biggest thing is the cleats that's the biggest thing because that will tear up the field so we put signage everywhere
1:18:36 maybe some cameras you know do you see park services driving once in a while but they got to ask just they got to pull a permit do it more because it's brand new facility Okay.
1:18:47 Question question on the clarification on the taxes. So, we're looking at the surfaces number one to include field layout. Two
1:18:56 grand stands to include the locker rooms and concessions or at least in set up for that for that. Yeah.
1:19:05 If they could fit it in the footprint.
1:19:06 If not, it would be a it would be a four priority. It's possible that the restroom that a restroom that's not associated with the locker room that a
1:19:15 restroom and concession stand thing is a separate a separate building. Yeah, that we could do. Okay.
1:19:20 There's plenty of room on the first side. Yeah.
1:19:22 Um and then the back stop heading right after that. Now, would you would you put fencing as a priority? And
1:19:31 if so, would you put the fencing above the sideline netting or would you think The sideline netting would be more important.
1:19:40 I think the sideline netting is more important because it'll empower people more to park. Okay.
1:19:44 It encourage Sorry, not empower. It encourage people because right now nobody wants to park along the streets because Yeah. They don't have any church. They don't want to go.
1:19:53 They don't want to. Yeah.
1:19:57 So, I heard that bathrooms and concessions are priority four. Is that accurate? Uh I I would say let's put it
1:20:07 keep it with the it's almost like a 2.5 because you're going to keep it with the stadium but if it cannot be incorporated
1:20:14 with with the actual like bleachers then if it's separate you know but honestly it would probably be the same project right because you're going to have the
1:20:22 same construction company that you hire potentially but there's going to be some some water logistics electrical logistics that are going to get costly.
1:20:30 Yeah. So, uh, it may be like push back. I got you. Yeah.
1:20:38 So, I think what we're going to do, I think, is Nathan and Zayn and I will we'll take this priority list and we'll
1:20:47 bring it to somebody who's going to plan this project. Okay.
1:20:51 And and do a rendering for us and do a cost estimate. And then when that's done, I'm not sure how long that will take. Couple days.
1:20:59 Yeah. by Monday. That'll be done by Monday. When that's done, then we'll know it's done. We'll look at it and then we'll we'll contact everybody once
1:21:07 we have that to set a to set a meeting to review everything before we then present it to council. Okay.
1:21:15 I mean, is that does that fair with everybody?
1:21:18 And this so I understand this is just our ideas. This is our ideals. What? Correct. Yeah.
1:21:24 Correct. So, we're going to get we're going to get ideals. We're going to get what you guys want. We're going to get a drawing. We're going to get a rendering for it.
1:21:32 We're going to get estimates for it.
1:21:34 We're going to bring it back to this group and review it. And then this group will go to the council and present it. Present it. Where's the scoreboard go?
1:21:42 Right. Field there was one.
1:21:44 I know. But in the priority list, oh I mean it's part of the field.
1:21:48 I think that's part of the field. I mean we need it.
1:21:51 Are you That's not expensive though. It's not.
1:21:53 mentioned this, but uh PA or music is that I bring my own PA. I bring my own PA.
1:22:00 You have to have uh you guys you guys who you guys who live near the park.
1:22:04 Oh, trust me, we don't have enough juice.
1:22:06 We don't have enough juice. Music or the PA?
1:22:09 No, I think I think that that would be the kids, which is nice.
1:22:12 This year we're bringing, you know, barbell, whatever, like cowbells.
1:22:17 We need it to like play like music. between the, you know, like see on TV.
1:22:25 We're going to do a community night and you guys are all going to be invited.
1:22:27 We'll cook out for you guys. We're gonna we'll get them really, now that I know you, we're going to get you involved this year.
1:22:33 And just because uh Jeff Deerorf did send us his priorities and I want those to be read into the record in case it informs anything. Um, clean up the shell
1:22:42 of the stadium with new wood roof, uh, new seats area for scorekeeper, the locker room, maybe make bathroom bigger underneath, only one stall on both
1:22:51 sides. A priority two, playing surface, dugouts, black or green fence around the whole field. Number three is scoreboard and flag pole. Four is netting around
1:23:00 home plate. Five is entrance to Bishop Field. Make it look old and authentic with iron signs and gates. So when the cars drive by, they want to stop and
1:23:07 look. Always do this later if need more funding. Uh number six is batting cages and pitching mounds on both sides.
1:23:14 Number seven is have places in the outfield for sponsorships on fence.
1:23:19 That's Yeah, I think it was just a little bit more elaborate, but Yeah, we'll you know um where where did that list come from?
1:23:28 Um Jeff was on the committee. He was just email.
1:23:32 Let me ask you a question. So are we all coming to some sort of consensus about like the overall what kind of the direction we're going with this as far
1:23:40 as like keeping the parking lot right field. The turf would be ideal. Um keeping the the shell the historic
1:23:48 nature of it. I mean, are we all kind of coming together? Because I think it's important that we get y'all's buying, our buying. Um, because we're merging
1:23:56 like the the player side, and then the neighborhood, and we want something that you guys are going to be proud of, that we could play and we're going to be proud of. Um, and that honestly that we
1:24:06 could bring some great visitors that might want to come live here because I think, you know, you bring high schools from up there that come and play or or colleges. I mean, some of these kids are going to come stay here and live here.
1:24:15 They're going to have a good time.
1:24:16 They're going to eat at the pub. They're going to, you know, they're going to want to come and stay here. You know, they're going to have a good time with choice of champions for baseball. Yeah.
1:24:23 Does um after all those priorities, which I agree those are the priorities that those priorities should be.
1:24:32 Yeah.
1:24:32 If I put it that way, um the surrounding fence would be Yeah. Like not not the fence, but like the surrounding area, the trees, the the
1:24:41 landscaping, what it actually looks like, like a beautifification of like the the landscaping around The oak trees are already beautiful, you know.
1:24:48 Yeah, that's why when I saw that parking lot, I was like, "No way." Those live oaks.
1:24:53 So, I'm just talking about like the the grass and everything that's on the outside on the slope down.
1:24:59 Can we can we make that as a like a last? Yeah. Like a you know, I mean, if it's going to be the area right there. Yeah.
1:25:08 So, I guess when we're when we're doing the surrounding fencing, like Jeff was saying, like if we could do black fencing around it, including landscaping. Let's let's put landscaping plan.
1:25:17 Are we referring that has damaged the curb and rug like dug up that that soil that's on the side because they drive across in the back.
1:25:28 They also drive and the cops drive up there too by the way. Yeah, I show them all the time.
1:25:33 So all the curbing is is damaged on on Second Street from just vehicles hopping. But I think that that whole
1:25:42 area, like we mentioned, if we put the netting, it'll discourage people from parking back there.
1:25:47 And then if we put Yeah. And if we put the fence, a secondary fence, and obviously if we do that to include landscaping.
1:25:53 Another reason that is when they come right the field, that's where they drive in.
1:25:59 You know, the gates, the gate, the maintenance gate is there.
1:26:03 If you do turf, that's another Can I get some clarification on this landscaping? So, uh, is it supposed to
1:26:12 be in the outfield area like past the outfield?
1:26:15 The whole park like like landscaping and and a secondary fence around the whole park like Okay.
1:26:20 in in the that that oaks area in left field. What what is that street? Dodto. Dodto. Okay.
1:26:28 Yeah. So just area Yeah. site beautifification.
1:26:32 Yeah. Just like landscaping, you know, a hardcape, you know, I guess what we call that, right, with fencing and all that.
1:26:38 And so, Nathan, do you think that the the city would like like something
1:26:46 really big right there? Like when you're driving down uh I4 and you go under that one overpass, it's like Orlando, Orlando.
1:26:56 They want to do some big arch. way there. Something like that right there.
1:27:00 Welcome to historical or welcome to Clermont over 50. Is that Well, it wouldn't be over
1:27:08 if you were to do something um the city owns land on both sides of the east. Okay.
1:27:15 If you did if you wanted to do something like that, that that's one way to do it.
1:27:20 Um but that would be a separate project because it's the street. It's wouldn't be Bishop, right?
1:27:26 Right. Another way that I look at it is um you know I think that's the sort of thing that we bring up once we get the basic we'll get a basic outline of
1:27:34 everything and then um under ideal circumstances we'll be able to afford to get a 3D visualization of it so that we
1:27:42 can actually get down and see from different angles what's it like if I'm driving out east what if I'm walking up the street or get those different views
1:27:51 and then we're going to have uh some things will pop into our mind about at that time say, you know, I
1:27:59 never really thought about that. You know, maybe that's what we should do right here or we can do this. I I don't think that's the the easiest thing to do
1:28:08 right now. So, it's it's not top of mind because we've got to get the field operational first, of course. Is it um long-term goal also
1:28:17 to have it connected to the the string of pearls idea?
1:28:21 String of pearls is not connected directly at that point. The string of pearls go they want to do all the different
1:28:28 the west side of Crystal Lake and then comes you know but it comes up to east it comes up east where there's the just
1:28:37 the dormant easement right there off of ultimately what was
1:28:43 okay and that that's where the string is to go.
1:28:48 So my my question is if there Yeah, if there I mean it's it's literally right there. They want to make
1:28:55 that like an extension trail um you know connect out there.
1:29:00 People could take their golf be cool and come watch a game, you know, if they're they're on a bike and they want to come watch a game, hear some players playing, they could come watch
1:29:08 and I think that'd be I don't know that that I don't know that that's within the purview of what we want to think of, but just as an
1:29:15 No, I think it's a brilliant thing to include is to be about the different people who can benefit from our
1:29:24 investment in it. And so that's why as an example, that's one of the reasons why when we were in the field, we were looking at that playground and picnic
1:29:31 tables because that's the concern of the mom's crew out there waiting for the kids is they got younger kids or something. What do I do with them?
1:29:40 Because they won't sit still in the stands. So I got to deal with them somewhere. Oh, thank goodness we have this large amount of land over off of the first baseline.
1:29:50 So anyhow, so all these periphery things. I mean, it's it's like if I'm if I'm a, you know, I'm across Lake, you
1:29:57 know, so I I don't, you know, all I see is the lights.
1:30:01 Um, so but I would be thinking about um other things that some people might think of silly, which is how can we make
1:30:08 this more artist? How can we incorporate art into how we do this? We do this in a more clever way than just the way
1:30:16 everybody does it. I I love the idea of that.
1:30:18 So there's there's a So it would be good if everybody on the committee can think about those things. You guys are out there teaching the the kids, you know,
1:30:25 what they need to do. And you might have an idea or a kid might have an idea.
1:30:30 And so we're not at the end of the process. We've got to get that that that vision in a physical, you know, in a a
1:30:38 graphic form so that we can then start asking another round of question.
1:30:46 shaved like some I some kids ended up in the back of our house the other day and I was like, "Hey guys, what are you
1:30:54 doing?" And they're like, "Oh, we just came from the ball field." And they're like, "Oh, we just want to play. There's not a lot of shade out there."
1:31:02 So, in the new the new stansions um will have shade, like sufficient shade for them. They have shade now.
1:31:09 Yeah, that's what she just said. I haven't been to a ball, so I don't know.
1:31:13 They have shade. I mean the field I mean they can sit in the stands. There's still stands or where the people will be sitting at will be shaded
1:31:20 if if we if you do the playground area the bleachers. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
1:31:27 But that's shades is an important thing. Okay.
1:31:32 I just had maybe a little off but will helicopters still be able to land there with the taller new landing and stuff because that seems
1:31:40 He's a helicopter mechanic. He's the one that does that all the time. Whenever he's bored, he would mess up. Is that what you do? Yeah.
1:31:47 No, that is a very good question because there's been, you know, numerous life flights that go out of there. He's what he does for a living.
1:31:56 They can land on the turf.
1:31:58 There is there is a slight risk of the turf unfolding and coming off. It has happened, but they will land at a turf field. Yes.
1:32:08 And then whoever had to be like flight is have to pay for that with insurance bill.
1:32:14 All right. But already to sort of wrap it up. So the idea is there's enough meat on the bones right now to engage the design process.
1:32:23 Yes.
1:32:23 And then once we get that going, which we don't know when that's going to be specifically, the idea is convene. That doesn't mean we all stop thinking about
1:32:32 how we might improve things. still put it on your list so that when the design what we may do uh is uh get a very rough
1:32:40 idea and have the design designer whoever that may be come back for a committee meeting have them ask you the
1:32:48 questions that are on their mind about how to how to do it.
1:32:51 So we don't know what that process is going to exactly look like right now.
1:32:54 So do we and that's why back to like do we feel like we have enough consensus to Nathan's point enough meat in the bones to push forward because I mean there's
1:33:02 cost to this. We don't want to uh because I think we do, you know, I think we're all in agreement. We didn't like the the ugly parking lot. We, you know,
1:33:09 we want to make sure something you guys are proud of. We want something that's safe and that our major league specs, which we feel like we can address. So, I think we're ticking every single box.
1:33:17 And, you know, the only other thing I would bring up is timetable. As we're doing these plans, if they could try to
1:33:26 include some sort of timet like what would like if funding was there, what would it take to because Yeah, we had $6 million to narrow spend.
1:33:36 Um, yeah. Two months then I mean it's still RFP process and plan. So, let's put it this way. Yeah.
1:33:42 Just just so just so we could be realistic. The the art lake filter multi-purpose field is small and all we're doing is replacing the artificial turf.
1:33:51 Yeah.
1:33:52 And we went out to we did RFPs in January or something. The turf should be installed by December.
1:34:02 Yeah.
1:34:03 So, I mean that's just so like we I'm hoping to have the field open by December 1st.
1:34:09 So, just so just so there's reality of of what it and that is just to do a it's not even a full-sighted soccer field.
1:34:19 It's a it's a small soccer field. It's 80 yard field. It's an 80 yard soccer field and just a field. We're not doing anything
1:34:26 else. We're not doing a fence. We're not doing a grand stand. We're not doing just doing that field. That's it. I'm
1:34:33 just trying to have a realistic time frame for everybody. Yeah. So, if we Yeah.
1:34:39 Yeah. My hope is that we can get it done by by 2028, you know, spring of 2028 that it can be ready to go, you know.
1:34:47 Okay. So, all hearts clear, huh, everybody? We're I think we're This is like going to be a a picture of what
1:34:54 community can work with. You see, I'm telling you, a great shot, you know. All right. So, I motion to close this. Anybody second it? Second.
1:35:01 Second. Third. Okay. We close this journ. Where's my gabble?