Islamorada Village Council members unanimously approved a proposed agreement for improvements at the Founders Park baseball field, which the Monroe County School District is leading through a roughly $6 million project.
The agreement will go to county school board members for discussion, consideration and approval.
The improvements the school district is seeking include installation of a new playing surface. Plans also include a new two-story building behind home plate for a press box, concessions and restrooms and new dugouts, among other improvements.
The agreement council approved at a Jan. 8 meeting also sets language for the school district’s use of the field, which is home to the Coral Shores High School baseball program. The village owns the property at Founders Park, which consists of the baseball field. The school district leases the field for the Hurricanes’ varsity and junior varsity teams.
While a separate use agreement will need approval between the school district and the village, the baseball field license pact also establishes use of the field by the school district from January to the end of May. Any weekend use of the field outside the regular schedule for baseball games and practices would be allowed, with 30 days notice prior to the date of the requested use. The village manager would ultimately give approval of the request.
As for the proposed improvements, the agreement states the school board would need signoff from the village as it relates to the final design and development on the field. As part of this review and approval, the village is seeking the ability to review the designs at an open public meeting or workshop and to solicit community input on the designs. The school district would need to provide the village with written notice of the designs of the proposed improvements no later than 60 days prior to the start of construction.
In addition, the agreement states the village will participate in and approve all material and product selections, turf systems, drainage components and structural products, regardless of who is selected and approved as the contractor. The school district is seeking to install artificial turf on the baseball field.
The agreement states the school district and its architect, engineer and contractor would meet with the village on a regularly scheduled basis, no less than once per month, during the construction and renovation of the improvements.
Council’s approval of a baseball field license agreement follows extensive discussion and debate among the council members, a baseball task force convened by Village Manager Ron Saunders, the public and school district officials. With the council’s passage, the proposed baseball license agreement will go to the school board for consideration. Saunders acknowledged the village-approved license agreement is different from what the school board has been examining and considering.
“We still have to negotiate the final product, but I think this is a good step to get us further down the field,” Saunders said.
Village officials praised the work of the baseball task force, and specifically the work among members Jamie Engel, Tony Hammon and Richard Black.
“The review committee did a good job,” said Saunders, who added meetings among the group resulted in a lot of input from residents.
Mayor Don Horton praised the work of Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney in bringing stakeholders together for a meeting to hash out differences related to the improvements, the process in which they were taking place and use of the field.
Mahoney said the result of the latest agreement approved by the village is “really great for the kids.” She said it also gives the village a say in every step that’s made in relation to the enhancements.
“We want the best field, we want the best of everything from them. But our position is it’s not going to be done without our say. Every move has to go through this council and the public,” Mahoney said.
Fish captain Ed Davidson has long criticized the process in which the proposed improvements came to be. He said the latest baseball license agreement is “way better.”
“It was out of control,” he said. “We were being dictated to by people who pay us $10 a year for access and threatening at various points of the year to lock it up.”
However, Davidson still had issues over use of the field during certain times and on weekends. He also expressed concerns over the length of the lease, a proposed 20-year term with two 10-year renewals.
