2003-02-05 P&R - Laserfiche WebLink

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January 23, 2003 City of Centerville Parks and Rec Board 1880 Main Street Centerville, MN 55038 JAN 2 l 2\Ju51 RE: LaMotte Park Dear Board Members: I'm writing this letter as a resident of this community concerned about the quality of LaMotte Park. I have been a resident of Centerville for approximately four and a half years and appreciate the fact that we have baseball diamonds and soccer fields in this city for my kids to have practice and games on. Also, as a baseball coach for the Centennial Lakes Little League and a soccer coach for the Lino Lakes Parks and Rec., I find it very convenient to have games and practices in the town in which I live. Although I appreciate the fact that we have a complex in this city, I'm very disappointed in the quality of the baseball and soccer fields at the park. As a volunteer coach, I have spent numerous hours at LaMotte either sweeping water off or raking the baseball diamond before the games in order for them to be adequate for play. There was not a night last year that I didn't show up at the ball field without my broom, rake and shovel. This extra work has actually taken away from my personal enjoyment of the game and the element of coaching. It is somewhat embarrassing from my viewpoint to have spectators come in from other communities to watch their children dodge the standing puddles on the diamond Of stand in the soggy outfields. The soccer fields used for my practices are not much better in the fall as the fields are more saturated than dry. I realize that these sports programs are not the responsibility of the City ofCenterville, but I believe there should be some element of pride displayed in our facilities. I have visited some baseball complexes in the cities of Lino Lakes, Lexington and Shoreview and it is evident that dollars and time are spent in maintaining excellence. The availability of good, quality fields is at a premium as the Centennial community continues its population growth. Don't you think it is time that we spend some dollars and time to update LaMotte Park to make it a place where people want to come to watch games? These are some suggestions: . Tiling is essential to control the water problem with the fields. Unfortunately due to Centerville's high water table and the lack of landscaping at LaMotte, there is no place for the water to drain. I have heard talk about updating the warming house and perhaps paving the parking lot at LaMotte. I'm not sure to the extent or necessity of renovations of the warming house, but I think tiling should take precedence over a paved parking lot. . If tiling is not a possible short- term alternative, the city should invest in a sweeper attachment for a tractor to push the water off the field. It is my understanding that the