City Council Meeting Date: June 1, 2021
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: David Bennett, Public Works Director/City Engineer
Title
Presentation of Northfield Youth Baseball Association Interest in Baseball and Softball Field Enhancements at Sechler Park.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council receives a presentation from Northfield Youth Baseball Association (NYBA) on enhancements to Sechler Park.
Summary Report:
The NYBA will present on proposed improvements that the association has been considering over the past few years that they feel would enhance their events and usage at Sechler Park. This presentation will touch on the larger benefit of growing events and sports tourism in Northfield.
This is just an informational presentation at this time. There is no action requested and further review will be occurring in conjunction with a broader parks and recreation focus.
As background, these areas of interest for improvements presented by NYBA would directly relate to the Council strategic plan under the Quality Facilities strategic priority. There is also a connection to the Riverfront Enhancement Implementation strategic plan initiative under the Economic Vitality strategic priority as well but we plan to focus on these athletic facilities within the other Quality Facilities Initiative.
Staff will be bringing forward to Council a Capital Investment Plan for parks and recreation over the twelve months as we work on this action plan. Staff will coordinate with the baseball association and other stakeholders to further explore their interest as the capital plan gets explored. Additionally, any formal capital campaign from the baseball association that is publicly indicating upgrades to City facilities that would impact a city capital improvement plan will require council approval first.
Other Parks and Recreation Related Exploration
The City will be exploring a number of facilities for consideration of maintenance and enhancement to be reviewed and prioritized. Some of those currently identified in addition to the baseball improvements include: NCRC building renovation/FiftyNorth remodel & expansion, ice arena renovation or reconstruction, riverfront park improvements, skate park facilities, soccer field facilities, tennis/racquetball facilities, lacrosse facilities, and others than may be identified through a coordinated review process that will include public engagement with the community and stakeholders. The process is not yet defined but staff is working on developing this as part of the strategic plan action plan process.
Alternative Options:
NA
Financial Impacts:
Not yet defined or estimated.
Tentative Timelines:
The timelines for the Quality Facilities initiative is under development at this time.