REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL
To:Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From:Jason Simpson, City Manager
Prepared by:Shannon Buckley, Assistant City Manager
Date:February 13, 2024
Subject: Professional Services Agreement With TC Sports for Operational Services of Rosetta Canyon Sports Park
Recommendation
Approve and authorize the City Manager to execute a Professional Services Agreement with TC Sports, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $250,000.00 per year for management services, $62,500 for field maintenance, plus reimbursables for Rosetta Canyon Sports Park, in such final form as approved by the City Attorney.
Background
In 2018, the City contracted with TC Sports, Inc., a Triple Crown Sports franchisee, a leader in Southern California related to girls’ fast pitch softball, was hired to staff the facility and manage all events, including field preparation. TC Sports, Inc. is a recognized leader in event production, including field preparation. The alliances and relationships they have built nationwide over the years testify to the customer service and care of individual needs, evident in the high-quality tournaments and events they produce.
The city staff’s vision for Rosetta Canyon Sports Park has not changed since the planning of its construction, which is to be an economic catalyst for the community. The vision requires high- quality programming and planning of significant tournaments with many organizations. TC Sports, Inc. has the infrastructure and contacts to build the tournament offerings with reputable organizations and local teams while hitting all age groups and play levels. Their success has grown over time, and the city stands to benefit from their investment over the years because they used to be a minor player in the market. While high-end programs seek their Triple Crown events, less-seasoned teams, and younger ages are still considered valuable customers. All segments of the Southern California market need attention, with other tournament providers now looking hungrily at the team numbers of TC Sports, Inc. who can assemble on any given weekend. They lead in programming field reservations, ensuring payment to the City, educating participants on TC Sports, Inc. – Rosetta Canyon Sports Park
park rules, providing field maintenance preparation, and making the City the premier location for all events.
Discussion
Staff performs additional due diligence with local youth leagues and organizations that request field use at Rosetta Canyon Sports Park and hold periodic meetings. The City wants to continue its contract with TC Sports, Inc. for the next five-year Fiscal Years ending June 30, 2029.
TC Sports, Inc. is and continues to be an excellent partner to the City and manages events that attract visitors from all over the United States. In addition, they actively work with the City’s recreation leagues to schedule usage during the week and maintain a positive relationship. TC Sports, Inc. also has the support of Lake Elsinore Girls Softball and Lake Elsinore Little League.
As Triple Crown Sports franchisee, TC Sports, Inc. has operated successful events nationwide for many years, but the largest demographic for girls’ fastpitch softball is right here in Southwest Riverside County of Southern California. They offer high-quality events to girls of all ages and levels of play to promote the sport including hosting college tournaments and numerous showcase events catering to college exposure and nationwide recruiting efforts. Additionally, a recent example took place July 24 – July 30 where Rosetta Canyon Sports Park hosted the Alliance National Championships Tournament with 219 Teams from across the country with over 12 of the top-level College Coaches in the United States in attendance.
Additionally, Rosetta Canyon Sports Park has been a driving force for economic development efforts in the Central Corridor due to the tourism of the Rosetta Tournaments which has brought retail and franchise growth retailers here such as Miguel Jr’s, Popeyes, Raising Canes, Taco Bell, and Chick Fil A. It is a part of our Dream Extreme 2040 plan and because of its focus to capture tournaments that draw visitors into the City, it was not intended to support additional field allocations. We currently are processing a hotel development application for the construction of a new 103-room Hampton Inn near Central Avenue because of the Rosetta Canyon Sports Park tournament successes. Additionally, the Rosetta Canyon Sports Park location has the highest number of visits of any location within the City at close to 500,000 visits in the past twelve months. Since the opening of Rosetta Canyon Sports Park with TC Sports programming and operating the facility, the City’s sales tax revenues have increased annually by $2.7 million along the Central Avenue Corridor, which was further bolstered by another $2.7 million in Measure Z revenues.
Rosetta Canyon Sports Park History
The following highlights the history of Rosetta Canyon Sports Park and how we’ve come to the operation we are at today.
* Rosetta Park was previously a single field, generally in poor shape due to frequent vandalism, that was used by local resident youth leagues (LEGS & LELL) as a passive field for general dirt area for practices.
TC Sports, Inc. – Rosetta Canyon Sports Park
* The City was able to refinance bonds for the CFD2004-3 Rosetta Canyon Community Development, resulting in a lowering of assessment to residents of the community for funding of streets, sidewalks, sewer, water, street lighting, and to build a world-class facility. * The design of 5 softball fields was chosen due to the demand for tournament-level facilities in the region, with 5 fields being a desirable number for large tournaments. * A tournament focus was the direction to drive additional economic growth through restaurants, hotels, and other supporting businesses for visitors to the City. * Youth leagues were never denied access, however a focus on tournament play for weekends was implemented and is somewhat of an industry standard for Cities in our region (see Diamond Valley Park and Patricia Birdsall Park).
* Rosetta’s use policy was atypical in that a softball field and the football/ soccer field were often available for open play without reservations. No other City-allocated fields are handled this way in that they are only available to the allocated leagues during in-season play. This enabled the community access to the premier facility even during official league seasons. * Once opened, the City’s Community Services Department and Public Works Department were tasked with the coordination and general maintenance of the facility, before, during, and after league play.
* City crews with both departments were scheduled to prep, maintain, and re-prep fields daily and for tournament days from Sunrise to well into the night, sometimes as late as 1 AM. * Partnerships were formed with Triple Crown Tournament Softball, Lake Elsinore Tournament Softball, Regional Travel Softball Organizations, and local/ regional leagues to utilize the facility. * The facility was allocated based on the premier status of the hosting organization and the draw of usage i.e., the large tournament with the farthest draw of teams was prioritized enabling the economic impact to be most compelling.
* Within months of the opening the demand of the operations and the specialized nature of attracting the top teams/organizations became too much for the small internal City teams to manage.
* Public Agency working regulations and schedules became too burdensome to provide the best utilization of the facility.
* A request for a proposal was received from Triple Crown Sports Management to operate the facility with its nationally recognized name and connections. As well as their specialized understanding of field conditions/set-up.
* To adequately serve the visitors of the park and provide world-class conditions the partnership was imperative.
TC Sports, Inc. – Rosetta Canyon Sports Park
* This partnership did require a financial commitment from the City to support the operations, however, the cost to do so was at a significant reduction compared to the hours required of City staff.
* The following table is a rough outline of what the annual cost to the City would be if City Staff from both the Community Services Department and Public Works Department were to manage all aspects of the facility at the elevated level Triple Crown Sports Management provides. * The City currently pays Triple Crown Sports Management approximately $212,500 per year for operations and field preparation, grooming, and chalking. * The most cost-effective operation for Rosetta Canyon Sports Park is to allow TC Sports to continue to operate the facility.
CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIASELECTED ANALYSIS - ROSETTA CANYON SPORTS PARKDATE: AUGUST 2023 DESCRIPTION TC SPORTS, INC. CITY STAFF
REVENUES:
PARK FEES 107,800$ 107,800$
SUBTOTAL 107,800 107,800
COSTS:
CONTRACT - TC SPORTS, INC. 212,500 -
STAFFING COSTS (CITY):
MONDAY THRU THURSDAY (52 WEEKS) - 474,500FRIDAY THRU SUNDAY (45 WEEKENDS) - 632,250 NET COSTS 212,500 1,106,750
NET SUBSIDY (104,700)$ (998,950)$
ANALYSIS - TC SPORTS, INC. VS CITY STAFFING
Position Mon - Thurs Hours Rate TotalManagement 10 $100.00 $52,000.00Admin 10 $65.00 $33,800.00Supervisory 25 $75.00 $97,500.00Full Time Labor 50 $70.00 $182,000.00Part Time Labor 60 $35.00 $109,200.00Subtotal $474,500.00 Rosetta Canyon Sports Park Cost Analysis - Monday to Thursday TC Sports, Inc. – Rosetta Canyon Sports Park
Historical Revenues:
CEQA
This action is exempt from any CEQA requirements.
Fiscal Impact
Funds are budgeted in the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Annual Operating Budget and are primarily funded by field reservation fees for the facility. Additionally, Rosetta Canyon Sports Park location funds are budgeted in the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Annual Operating Budget and are primarily funded by field reservation fees for the facility. Additionally, Rosetta Canyon Sports Park location has the highest number of visits of any location within the City at close to 500,000 visits in the past twelve months. Since the opening of Rosetta Canyon Sports Park with TC Sports programming and operating the facility, the City’s sales tax revenues have increased annually by $2.7 million along the Central Avenue Corridor, which was further bolstered by another $2.7 million in Measure Z revenues.
Attachments
Attachment 1 - Agreement
Position Fri. - Sun. Hours Rate TotalManagement 20 $100.00 $90,000.00Admin 10 $65.00 $29,250.00Supervisory 40 $75.00 $135,000.00Full Time Labor 90 $70.00 $283,500.00Part Time Labor 60 $35.00 $94,500.00Subtotal $632,250.00 Rosetta Canyon Sports Park Cost Analysis (Weekends)
CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIASELECTED ANALYSIS - ROSETTA CANYON SPORTS PARKDATE: AUGUST 2023
FISCAL YEAR AMOUNT
REVENUES:
FY18-19 113,887$ FY19-20 90,565FY20-21 46,215FY21-22 98,610FY22-23 107,670456,947$ FY2017-18 THRU FY2022-23 PARKS FEES