VERO BEACH — Citing the need to educate themselves on the issue, the Vero Beach City Council decided Tuesday to postpone a vote to lease city baseball fields and equipment to a private organization.
Before the Council for a vote was a proposed lease with the Indian River Sports Complex.
As budget constraints have forced the City to make choices about off-loading expenses such as electricity and maintenance onto youth athletic programs, the Indian River Sports Complex organization stepped forward and offered to run the baseball leagues and manage the fields.
In exchange for this, the City would have given equipment like lighting and scoreboards to the organization and also grant them exclusive use of the fields.
“They would have control over the fields because they would be covering the costs,” City Manager Jim O’Connor said.
The Indian River Sports Complex has a similar arrangement regarding fields at Vero’s 16th Street recreation facilities and with some County fields, but it was stated that the organization is headquartered in the unincorporated county, not within the City limits.
About 60 to 80 percent of the kids who enroll in the Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth youth baseball leagues coordinated by this group — leagues that are distinct from Little League — live outside the City limits.
Numerous Vero Beach businessmen involved in youth baseball approached the podium in opposition to what they termed the privatization of the City ball fields. They urged the Council to work with Little League officials toward a solution that would keep the fields open to all for practice or pick-up games.
Recreation Director Rob Slezak said the important thing is to get the budgetary, utilities and maintenance issues settled so kids can have fields on which to play.
Noting that in his younger days he’d played in all the various leagues, “They were all beneficial, as long as you’re playing baseball,” he said. “The key is to play baseball.”
Both Mayor Dick Winger and Councilwoman Pilar Turner had many questions and requested another two weeks to clarify the issues, the options and the implications of council action.
Winger said he has a grandson who plays baseball in another county and noted, “it’s extremely complicated and, like what we do here at the podium, there’s politics involved.”
Because the Council has “a responsibility to do the right thing,” Winger said and his fellow Council members agreed, they needed a little more time to sort out the best course of action. The Council asked Slezak to compile an executive summary of the leagues, the factors and people involved and the main problems to be solved.
O’Connor warned the Council that they need to deal with a bona fide organization that can sign a lease and obtain insurance, not just an enthusiastic or dedicated individual without the capacity to enter into an agreement with the city that would protect the city from liability.
The matter will be brought back at the June 17 Council meeting.
