Published: October 09, 2008 10:03 am      

Athletic facility proposal detailed

Memorandum of Understanding OK’d; will allow Y facilities to use Harding

CLINTON — Construction of a new athletic complex moved one step closer to becoming a reality Wednesday at a special session of the Clinton City Council and Committee of the Whole.

All council members, except at-large councilman

Ronald Mallicoat, who was absent, and second ward representative Mike Kearney, who abstained, voted for a motion approving a Memorandum of Understanding and allowing the YMCA/YWCA to use the Harding school building for a temporary home for its administration and recreation facility.

The Y’s would incur the $1 fee the city currently pays to lease the Harding building from the Clinton School District. Volunteer YMCA/YWCA board member Tom Lonergan presented the council with a copy of communication outlining the city’s and the Y’s responsibility regarding the Harding building lease.

Lonergan said the draft was merely a “starting point,” not an end resolution.

“We had to have something for the beginning of the concept,” Lonergan said. “This certainly is not the only thing that you have to consider. It’s just a starting point. It’s certainty something that we are willing to discuss and work with you on.”

Fourth ward councilman Paul Gassman, at-large councilwoman Bette Oakley and at-large councilman Mark Vulich raised a few questions regarding the draft.

Earlier in the meeting, city administrator Gary Boden said the city’s intent is for the Y facilities to be responsible for any improvements, maintenance and insurance of the building. However, Vulich, Gassman and Oakley pointed to discrepancies between the document and Boden’s earlier comments.

“In agreement with the school district, we’re to keep the facility in the same condition that they lent it to us, and it’s not in here (the draft) that the Y has to leave it in the same condition when they give it back,” Vulich said.

“Also, it says the city of Clinton will maintain insurance while the Y’s have rental insurance for loss and liability insurance. I’m not sure the taxpayers should be subsidizing the use by another organization, without them reimbursing us for a rent or helping us with insurance. Another one is that it says the landlord is responsible for maintenance, except for repairs. We’re responsible for the structure, interior walls, sewer and plumbing basically. If we have another pipe break, we’re stuck with the bill again.”

Boden said he would examine the letter more carefully and discuss the contents of the lease with the Y’s.

“My speculation is that we’ll discuss the letter of the intent and will address it,” Boden said. “We have to go over it, but the general intent is written here.”

Boden stressed the use of the Harding building was temporary for the Y’s, until a new building would be completed.

The lease for the Harding building would run until March 2011.

Lonergan said the Y’s intention would be to have a building near the proposed athletic complex site. Right now it looks as if the facility’s location would be on the west side of Clinton, Boden said.

As the Y’s embark on the temporary site, it would leave their Fifth Avenue South building vacant. Lonergan said the plan hasn’t been set on what to do with the Fifth Avenue South establishment.

“Not knowing our options, it’s hard to say what our plan is,” Lonergan said. “We’re trying to make a determination to turning off part of the building, but economically, that wouldn’t be in our best interest. We don’t have absolute answers on what will happen to the building, but we don’t want to leave a completely empty building.”

The Y’s, Mercy Medical Center, the Clinton school district, Ashford University and the city of Clinton would be directly involved in the complex.

Ashford University looks to be in the quickest need of a facility with the construction of intercollegiate soccer fields. Those fields would need to be completed by August 2009 for the university to utilize them.

Included on the complex could include fields for baseball, softball and soccer for youth and adult leagues, including interscholastic and intercollegiate uses. Also, Boden said, if an aquatic center was built, it would be under the Y’s jurisdiction, including whatever building was attached to it.

With the memorandum’s passage, it’s now up to Ashford University to pursue land acquisition for the site that will include “many, many acres,”

Boden said.

The complex would require little financial backing in the short term, Boden said. A total of $10,000 to $15,000 would be required and development costs, in the short term, would be picked up mostly by the private sector, Boden said.

First ward representative Bob Soesbe said the complex would be great for Clinton, but money is an issue for the city.

“As a council member, I need to warn people that we’re kind of tapped out money wise. Bonding is really tight and we don’t have any operation money. Maybe three or four or five years we could come out with this, but we’re really tight right now. Everybody needs to recognize not to look at the city for deep pockets.”

The memorandum will direct the responsibilities of the different organizations.

“The development of the memorandum is to determine responsibilities of the direction of the complex,” Boden said. “The operation of this facility in a broader viewpoint would not be something that would be completely under the jurisdiction of any one group.”