Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: DISCUSS NORCAL OAKS LICENSE AGREEMENT
Date: June 25, 2024
Written by: Damien O'Bid, City Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council provide direction to staff to implement the proposed public hours at Putnam Park and similar at Cator Field when the field opens for use.
Background
At the June 11, 2024 City Council meeting, the City Council discussed the NorCal Oaks license agreement, specifically public access to the baseball field at Putnam Park. The baseball field at Putnam Park was rebuilt in the past year to make it usable again, and in April 2024 it began to be used regularly under a license agreement that provided NorCal Oaks with the first right to use the field for games and practices.
The full staff report from June 11, 2024 is attached for reference. Additional responses from other cities that came in too late for the June 11 packet that were reported verbally include the following:
City of Santa Rosa. The City of Santa Rosa stated that they lock as many of their fields as they can and then issue keys each season to user groups with field use rules. Permitted uses take precedent. City park staff stated that they lock the fields to protect them and keep them in usable condition for renters/other permitted users. They have a no dog on ball fields policy and at Galvin Softball field close it during the day because of a rogue dog park group that would leave “presents” for the competitive softball leagues.
At the discussion's end, the City Council directed staff to work with NorCal Oaks to develop proposed open public access hours for the baseball fields and return as soon as possible.
Additionally, explore the possibility of temporary dog park fencing to control off lease dogs.
After the June 11, 2024 City Council meeting, one of the field gates at Putnam Field was forced open with the fence broken and people in the baseball field running their dogs off leash. Upon discovering this, they were kicked off the field.
Analysis/Discussion
Based on direction from the City Council, staff worked with NorCal Oaks to develop a proposed public access schedule. The City has not had usable baseball fields for team sports in many years, so staff are admittedly unfamiliar with field management and what is necessary to keep a baseball field in playable condition. Additionally, during the public meeting, there was a concern expressed that Putnam Field was too nice and not built for public use due to the maintenance required to keep the field playable. Outside of these discussions, staff is also routinely approached by parents with children in little league to provide unsolicited comments that Putnam Field is the best little league field they had ever played on. Therefore, in addition to discussions with NorCal Oaks, staff also visited several nearby baseball fields to better understand how they are constructed, used and maintained.
Saff visited other nearby fields in Rohnert Park, specifically B Park, C Park and Tech High Fields. The Tech High team is the primary user of the Tech High baseball field and Cal Ripkin uses B Park and C Park fields during their season (March – July).
Field Access & Maintenance
When staff visited Tech High, B Park and C Park, the gates at Tech High and B Park were locked, the pitcher‘s and homeplate were covered and no bases were out. The Tech High gates remain locked throughout the year, but the field does have a gap in the outfield fencing. B Park is locked when in use by Cal Ripken Baseball, from March-July. C Park does not have any outfield fencing. None of the fields appeared to have any noticeable gopher damage.
The teams that play on these fields tarped the pitcher's mound and home plate area and set the bases when in use. Bases are not put out to prevent theft. Tarping is done to preserve the moisture and keep the clay bricks beneath the surface from drying out and getting damaged. If damaged, the areas begin to sink and create a depression. To repair this, they need to be dug out and completely replaced to be usable for team sports. Based on the construction cost at Putnam Field, rebuilding a pitcher's mound costs approximately $7,000. The only alternative is a mound made of built-up cinder (the dirt used in the infield), which doesn‘t hold together and will ravel apart if used for team sports. An adjacent small field at B Park had this type of construction and the pitcher's mound was flat (level with the surrounding area) with deep grooves around it. The base pegs had also been removed/stolen, so base placement was out of alignment. This field is not used for team sports, but if used for team sports, a pitchers mound would need to be rebuilt after every game.
Although B Park is known as a good field, it is in significantly poorer condition than Putnam Field. This park has an adjacent fenced dog park, but there were also dogs off leash observed throughout the park outside of the baseball field. During the baseball season (March-July), the field remains locked by Cal Ripkin. The coaches repair the facilities at this field, so it is locked to prevent damage.
The baseball field at C Park is not fenced in, but the pitcher's mound and batters' area are covered with tarps. The field is used for smaller kids and is in poor condition.
At B Park and C Park, the pitcher’s mound and homeplate area reportedly remain tarped throughout the year. When the Cal Ripken Baseball season starts, the coaches repair the offseason field damage to get them in playable condition. However, it was apparent to staff, based on the condition of the facilities at their best ”in-season” state that it’s managed by volunteers with a minimal budget.
Public Access Schedule – Putnam Baseball Field
In discussion with NorCal Oaks officials, staff discussed options that maximized ”open” public access around scheduled maintenance, games and practices. Currently, the schedule is set for June, July and the first week of August. Using this as an example, the following open public access hours could be established:
Days Scheduled NorCal
Oaks
Open Field
Monday, Friday 8 am – 2 pm 3 pm - 8 pm (5 hrs/day)
Tues-Thursday 4 pm – 8 pm 10 am - 3 pm (5 hrs/day)
Sat., Sunday 8:30 am – 3 pm 3:30 pm - 8 pm (4.5 hrs/day) Essentially, other than reserved times for NorCal Oaks games and practices and mornings before 10 am, the field would be open during all other daylight hours on a first come-first serve basis.
Applying this schedule between June 17-August 11 results in:
• 272 open public hours
• 264 reserved hours for NorCal Oaks games/practices
• 32 hours of field maintenance.
It should be noted that our recreation camps, and group reservations would typically also fall into the open public hours timeslots, which include field set up and will have priority use. The restriction on weekday mornings before 10 am is proposed because it overlaps with field maintenance times on Monday/Friday and is also when the most egregious dog owners have been observed running their dogs off leash on the baseball field. The intent is to try to reduce field damage/vandalism, so it remains in good condition for everyone to use.
A similar schedule would be established throughout the year as the baseball season schedules become finalized. Once Cator Field becomes available, this would also be similarly scheduled to maximize overall public access outside of scheduled baseball uses. The fields would be locked at night when the parks are closed and during and after heavy rain events when the fields are not suitable for baseball. Unless advanced notice is provided, no equipment will be provided for public users. There will be no supervision of the field during public hours.
Open public hours would be added to the existing signage (at Putnam Field) indicating that these are public fields, no dogs allowed on the field, field use is intended for baseball/softball, and contact information for the NorCal Oaks and the City for group reservations.
Temporary Dog Park
Dog owners currently use this community park as an off leash open space. While most are respectful, staff regularly receive complaints about off leash dogs in the parking lot or playground. A usable enclosed dog park will reduce the desire of some owners to let their dogs into the baseball field. However, staff recommends against an interim dog park at this time, as most dog owners will likely be upset by this change. Rather than having the entire park (in poor condition) to run their dogs, they would be restricted to a small area (still in poor condition) to run their dogs. The staff proposal instead relies on field signage and public field hours that will hopefully avoid the worst of the potential issues. Once the east side of the park is reconstructed and the field is in good condition, the permanent dog park, with significant upgrades, will be available and better received by dog owners.
Recommendation
Staff recommend instituting the proposed ”open” public hours schedule, which will make the baseball field available without any notice on a first come-first serve basis when not used by NorCal Oaks. As noted above, these public access times are likely to also overlap with other group reservations and City recreation classes and clinics, which would have priority use. The field is intended to be used for baseball, so this use would have priority use over other activities.
Financial Considerations
If a temporary dog park was constructed, depending on the fencing used and length of fencing, could be rental fencing at an estimated $2k per month ($24,000 if over 12 months), or something more aesthetically pleasing at a higher cost. Other improvements may include benches, water, etc., which would add additional cost. Funding would come from the Putnam Park project budget, so would reduce available funds for permanent park improvements.
The open public hours would require minor signage changes, which would have a nominal cost and could be implemented quickly. It is proposed that the $5,000 per year that NorCal Oaks provides to the City per the license agreement be held in reserve for non-routine maintenance field repairs, as needed. This is intended to avoid the gradual degradation observed in neighboring baseball fields and to hopefully keep the field in good condition for all users.
Environmental Issues
The proposed open public hours is exempt from CEQA. Where it can be determined with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA review. This general rule can be applied to activities which could be subject to the CEQA process, but which logic dictates should not be subject to CEQA review. Therefore, based on the information provided above, the proposed resolution is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 14.03.021 of the CEQA Guidelines in that there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant impact on the environment.