Fresno Bee: Fresno City Council Votes to Privatize Two Parks

Fresno council, on split vote, OKs ballpark talks

Posted at 01:35 PM on Thursday, Apr. 14, 2011

By George Hostetter / The Fresno Bee

 

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A divided Fresno City Council on Thursday approved an exclusive negotiation agreement between City Hall and Big League Dreams LLC on the possible fate of two high-profile city-owned sports parks.

The agreement, approved on a 4-3 vote, gives city officials up to 45 days to negotiate a lease with the Chino Hills-based company to operate Granite Park in east-central Fresno and the Regional Sports Complex in southwest Fresno.

Council members Blong Xiong, Andreas Borgeas and Clint Olivier voted no.

City officials said the possible agreement has few details, saying those will be determined in negotiations. A representative from City Manager Mark Scott's office -- perhaps Assistant City Manager Bruce Rudd, who also is interim Parks Department director -- will join Council President Lee Brand and council members Oliver Baines and Larry Westerlund on City Hall's negotiating team.

Big League Dreams is regarded as the industry leader in providing baseball and softball at replica Major League ballparks. It has facilities in seven California cities as well in Nevada, Texas and Arizona.

In other action:

More than a dozen people asked the council to require Darling International Inc. to get a conditional-use permit to operate its rendering plant in southwest Fresno. Some complained about odors from the plant. Company officials have said they have all necessary permits to operate within the city.
 
The council agreed to have its three-member Finance and Audit Committee investigate issues involving the general fund's emergency reserve and City Hall's past use of the treasury pool to pay some of its bills.

The administration of Mayor Ashley Swearengin in October tried to make a deal for the company to operate Granite Park. The proposal died when some council members objected to the administration's plan to use an insurance settlement to fund park improvements.

The same tension that killed the October proposal was present during Thursday's debate. Xiong and Borgeas repeatedly raised questions about whether an exclusive negotiating agreement was necessary for City Hall to sit down with Big League Dreams and hammer out a proposal.

But the council's supporters of the plan said months of research have shown that no one other than Big League Dreams has the experience and deep pockets necessary to fix the deteriorating ballparks at Granite Park, then make a success of a Granite Park-Regional Sports Complex business model.

The two parks are on almost opposite sides of Fresno.
Supporters also said an exclusive negotiating agreement is proof to Big League Dreams of City Hall's seriousness.
City officials emphasized that the city, suffering through a long budget crisis, will not agree to any cash subsidies to Big League Dreams. Any proposal would require council approval.

Fresno developer Terance Frazier, who described himself as a "minor partner" in Big League Dreams, told the council that the company would invest $3 million in each park.
Brand said he has seen a preliminary outline of Big League Dreams' plans. He said it's too early to reveal that outline, but added that a profit-sharing agreement could, within a decade, generate at least $1 million per year for the city.