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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-21-2010 Regular MeetingSTATE OF ALABAMA )( COUNTY OF BALDWIN )( The Equitable Use of Fairhope Recreation Facilities Study Group met at 5 :00 p .m., City Hall , Delchamps Room , 161 North Section Street, Fairhope , Alabama 36532 , on Wednesday, 21 July 2010. Present were: Rick Kingrea, Chairman Members : Lonnie Mixon, Mike Ford, Charlie Johnson , Charlie Langham, Fran Hollinger, Eddie Boyett, Eric Cortinas , Tom Kuhl , Sherry Sullivan, and James Gillespie . Gregg Mims was absent. Rick Kingrea called the meeting to order at 5:04 p .m . and notated a change in the minutes. The change is to omit Charlie Langham and add Greg McNally as one who was asked to work on the Parking Fee issue. Sherry Sullivan passed out a handout of information she has gathered from other leagues in surrounding areas . She said there is room for growth in our city parks. Ms . Sullivan then went on to discuss the handouts from each league. She feels that the city 's best return will be from baseball and softball. We can host our own tournaments to bring in revenue. The Gulfport Sportsplex 's procedures were discussed as well as those of the Orange Beach Sportsplex and how the y manage the tournaments and how they are marketed . Ms. Sullivan said there are a couple of different approaches , but we have to invest money to make money . She asked that Tom Kuhl be given the ability to utilize his staff to be able to have such tournaments. Rick Kingrea asked Ms. Sullivan if she sees the city as better off acting alone in potential sports tourism. She replied that it depends on the size of the tournament. We are the perfect area for sports tourism. Eddie Boyett suggested only using Daphne if the field space is needed . Ms. Sullivan said we want the tourism to originate in Fairhope and thinks that it is worth pursuing , but we need to work on field maintenance issues and personnel. Lonnie Mixon asked how much money is needed to start this . Ms. Sullivan responded that improvement is beneficial to our kids and tourism. The baseball program, for example , can do an ADECA grant to better their fields. She said the next step is to look at what is needed in our parks . Mr. Boyett stated that we could the tourism start now, but we really need more soccer fields. Equitable Use of Fairhope Recreation Facilities Study Group Wednesday , 21 July 2010 Page-2- Mr. Kingrea said that we as a city need to crawl before we walk and walk before we run although he is interested in the sports tourism. He asked Ms. Sullivan to de velop an initial plan and see where we go from there. He said to look at it as a one year, three year , five year and ten year thing and to start small. Mr. Kingrea also said that there is a lot of potential to make a lot of money which could be good for the whole city. Mr. Boyett emphasized that this idea must be marketed very strongly. Mr. Ford asked about the size of a softball tournament. Ms. Sullivan responded that we could handle a fifty to sixty team tournament, but within the next one to two months a package needs to go out. She thinks that we need a good two years to develop the entire plan , but thinks that we can start to crawl. Mr. Mixon suggested that we pick one sport to start with. Ms . Sullivan emphasized the fact that she wants the leagues to know that the city is behind them. Mr. Kingrea asked Sherry Sullivan, Eddie Boyett and Charlie Langham to get together and prepare a one year plan. He said to look at starting this in 2011 and see where we want to go with it. If it works in 2011 , then look at what can we do one year, three years , five years and ten years in the future. Mr. Mixon said that we also need to get our merchants involved . Ms . Sullivan said that the committee needs to look at the baseball information and move forward to with obtaining the ADECA grant. Fran Hollinger stated that she thinks the sports tourism is a good idea, but what about the money ; overtime is a concern. She stated that we need to look at how much this will cost and whether or not we should subcontract this out. Ms . Sullivan wants to look at the city policy involving overtime and comp time in regards to this topic . Charlie Langham reminded the group that the baseball fields need attention. Mr. Kingrea again told Ms . Sullivan to come up with the strategy of how to do this the first time such as holding a softball tournament. To develop the first year plan and figure out what the co sts are . The group then turned discussions to the pool. Tom Kuhl and Eddie Boyett looked at the pool and shared that there has been a $5 ,550 increase in revenue in a year. Mr. Kuhl also gave out a comparison of old and new rates. Mr. Kingrea asked if we could make a minimal amount more money on this ; maybe a $5 .00 a month increase for out of city limits individuals. He also asked Mr. Kuhl and Liz Chandler to provide a list of all recreation member families , and then have someone identify who is inside the city limits. He said to onl y look at the pool and recreation center people. He said not to include those children who play in city leagues as we do not want to charge more for those. We onl y want to look at the pool , recreation center, Nix Center and the golf course . Equitable Use of Fairhope Recreation Facilities Study Group Wednesday, 21 July 2010 Page-3- Sherry Sullivan then brought up parking fees and asked where that stands . Mr. Mixon said that it is costing the city about $125 ,000 to $150,000 to have the football stadium repaired. Ms. Sullivan said that Dr. Beverly Thomas , Fairhope High School principal , knows what is on the table for the city but has to be careful if we increase our fees . Mr. Kingrea said to look at the sources we as a city have and see what we can do to develop revenue . Ms . Sullivan said that an average around $1 ,800 to $2,000 is made on parking per home game. This money presently goes to the Fairhope High School Band. Mr. Mixon suggested that a higher parking fee would help pay the police department. Ms. Sullivan suggested charging the school a flat fee of $300-$400 per game for parking with the band getting the remainder. Fran Hollinger' s suggestion was that we cannot go up on parking but Mike Ford suggested charging the school for the use of the field. Rick Kingrea said to not make this complicated. Tom Kuhl suggested for the school to increase the price of their football tickets by $1.00. He believes this to be the easiest solution . He stated that there has to be a letter from the City to the Baldwin County Board of Education to request the increase in ticket sales by $1.00 to make them $7 .00 . Mr. Kuhl feels that this request will be granted. He also believes this increase will benefit the City the most. Rick Kingrea mentioned selling pavers at the various recreation facilities . Eric Cortinas replied that he has looked into pavers , but does not want to move forward until he knows the new renovation plans for the park. In regard to the proposed renovations , Mr. Cortinas stated that there are more than 1,000 games a year the youth baseball fields . Eddie Boyett stated that it has been years since there were improvements at the baseball park. Charlie Langham asked if the city can charge a recreation fee to all citizens and the answer 1s no. The next meeting for the Equitable Use of Fairhope Recreation Facilities Study Group was scheduled for August 17 , 2010 at 5:00 p.m. in the Delchamps Room . There being no further business to come before the Equitable Use of Fairhope Recreation Facilities Study Group, the meeting was duly adjourned at 6:07 p .m . Rick Kingrea, Chairman Candace G. Antinarella, Assistant City Clerk ' Sports Tourism Currently the City of Fairhope hosts a variety of rec league tournaments, travel team tournaments and school affiliated tournaments. There is room for growth but it would require field expansion and part-time personnel to coordinate and solicit tournaments. Soccer: See attached information from soccer league regarding expansion needs, etc. To host significant tournaments there is a need for 2 additional fields. Approx. cost would be $500,000. There would be no way to get a timely ROI from sports tourism on this expense. Baseball: Capability exists to host tournaments for 14 years and younger but only 12 team tournaments. There is a list of maintenance issues and field repair that would need to be addressed before tournaments could be held. A preliminary proposal is attached from the league president for some funding options. Softball: We currently host several fast-pitch softball tournaments throughout they year and this seems to be the area that we can best accommodate. The league has also helped with concessions but needs more volunteers. Where does revenue come from when hosting tournaments? Option I If we (the City) host our own tournaments, we can get gate, parking and concession revenue but we have to have the personnel to do it. Revenue also comes in the form of lodging and sales tax. Option II We can also get revenue from leasing fields to tournament organizers and allow league to runs concessions or contract out concessions for a percentage of the proceeds. We would still see revenue from lodging and sales tax. How do you market your programs? Word of mouth and by mailing packets local tournament organizers affiliated with various sanctioning groups (USSA, GFP A, etc). Keep constant contact with organizers and cultivate relationships. CVB, Chamber Weaknesses: Leagues are not able to secure enough volunteers to run or solicit tournaments. Overtime, personnel needed to host tournaments. Sherry Sullivan From: Sent: To: Subject: Steven Cortinas [ecortinas@bellsouth .net] Friday, July 09 , 2010 8:23 AM Sherry Sullivan ; Tom Kuhl budget proposal for renovation of Volanta Park youth baseball fields Attachments: Field renovation budget proposal.doc Tom/ Sherry Page 1 of 1 .Attached is the preliminary outline for our desired field renovations . It is very general aside from the costs listed for the portable pitching mounds and scoreboards-those are hard numbers and I have pricing proposals from suppliers on both items. Please call me if you have any questions or need any clarification, a detailed budget breakdown is being formulated with exact costs for all of the items listed . I should have it ready by early to mid August. If this proposal is acceptable to the Council our goal is to be able to begin renovation work in early November after fall ball is completed so we will be ready to go in February. We are moving up the start date for Spring baseball from the first week of March to mid February in 2011, we were way too pushed for time this year due to our late start date. Respectfully, Erik Cortinas (251) 378-1821 7/9/2010 . '-~ .. ~ : ,,,'t~·; .. . July 7, 2010 ~ Ms. Sherry Sullivary· . \' / \V \ ~ Mr. Tom Kuhl (t; \frf \. 2011 Fairho e Youth Baseball field renovation bud et The major goal of the FYB Board for 2011 is to renovate and upgrade the youth baseball fields at Volanta Park. The 3 primary reasons for this are : 1) there are numerous maintenance and safety issues throughout the park that have not been addressed in several years and that continue to deteriorate with the amount of use the fields endure every year (over 1000 games combined between Spring and Fall Baseball in 2009 on 5 fields) 2) To allow the League to make the existing fields multi-use for different divisions of play. This will allow for expanded tournament hosting which is a major component of raising funds to operate the League on a yearly basis . 3) There has not been a significant renovation of the facility in many years , despite the fact that the number of League participants has increased almost 150% in the past 10 years. In order to accomplish these goals, we propose the following funding proposal : FYB will donate $20,000 .00 of League funds to the City of Fairhope, with the City then appropriating an additional $20,000.00 to match . The resulting $40,000.00 will then be applied towards a grant from ADECA for a matching $40,000 .00 giving a total renovation budget of $80,000.00 available . We propose that these funds be used on the following issues: 1) Purchase of portable pitching mounds so that the League can configure the existing fields for use by different divisions of play as needed . This would include 4 mounds at a total cost of $10,000.00 2) The purchase of 6 new scoreboards . Total cost based on Nevco estimate is $30,000.00. 3) Remaining $40,000.00 for remaining items: a. Clearing of land and expansion of the Ozone outfield fence to 225' to meet Dixie Youth Baseball regulations. b. Relocation and reconstruction of Ozone batting cage for field expansion. c . Site work and grading on existing Minor, Ozone, Dixie Boys and Front fields to set base paths and base plugs for use by multiple divisions of play . d. Replacement of damaged fencing throughout park. e. Purchase of playground equipment for children 's plays areas. f. Purchase of new air conditioning unit for concession stand (current unit has been repaired numerous times at enormous and continuing expense to both the League and the City) g. Purchase of new windscreen and fence cap as needed throughout park. h. Installation of netting in front play area adjacent to concession stand to protect spectators and children 's play area from home run balls over High School left field fence . i. Entering into cons·ulting contract with Southern Turf Care to oversee field renovations and site work . j . Purchase of field maintenance supplies. k _ Replacement of broken equipment (catchers gear, mitts , gloves, bats , etc) Please note that this is a preliminary and very generalized budget proposal. The Board is in the process of obtaining pricing for a detailed budget breakdown for each item listed above , as well as any other needed items that may have been omitted . Respectfully, Erik Cortinas-Commissioner Fairhope Youth Baseball . Sherry Sullivan From: Dennis Sherrin [DENNIS@hbkcpas.com] Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 8:25 AM To: Sherry Sullivan Subject: FW: Sherry: Thanks for requesting information regarding soccer fields and usage. I gave quite a bit of detail over and above what you asked . Additional soccer fields are in such need based on our current use. With more fields , the opportunities and ideas for greater utilization would appear with little effort. Soccer has been a part of my life since 197 4 when the first youth league was organized in Fairhope. I have given my time youth sports since Kyle was 4 , but soccer has always been the program that I have devoted most of my volunteer hours to. Every youth sports program deserves dedicated support and I love kids being involved no matter the activity. However, soccer is most likely the largest youth recreation team program in the City and it will not decline and likely will grow. We manage to use little old Founders, but as I discuss below more fields could provide better opportunities for the type of tourism that benefits the community. Let me know what else I can do . Thanks, Dennis The Blast Soccer Club is a charitable organization operating travel and recreation soccer in Fairhope, Alabama. The club offers youth the opportunity to play recreational soccer through Fairhope Soccer League and competitive soccer through the Blast FC program. The club's philosophy is to offer youth the opportunity to learn the world's most popular sport while building character, learning teamwork, responsibility and citizenship in an environment where personal development is as important as soccer development. The club has provided specialized training and playing opportunities for many years. Many local players have been a part of the Blast travel program including 18 players from the 2009 Fairhope High School 6A State Soccer Champions. This group of young men learned to play the game with teams under the Blast and as a result brought the first ever State Soccer championships to a public school in Southwest Alabama and Fairhope's first team championship in any sport since the 1980's. With the continued prosperity of the Blast program, Fairhope High should continue to be the top programs in this area and one of the top programs in the state. Blast Soccer Club has operated a soccer tournament the past four years. Using the four fields at Founders Park plus fields at Fairhope High School and Trione Park in Daphne, we have hosted soccer teams from Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and many areas of Alabama Teams travel to the tournament site on a Friday and leave on a Sunday . The typical family will include 4 people. Teams are comprised of 14 -18 players . Each team will bring approximately 50 visitors to our area. Families would be classified as middle to· high income. They seek reasonably priced quality a~commodations that provide breakfast. They will seek lunch and dinner at local eateries. There is significant free time between and after games allowing families to find shopping and entertainment. Running a tournament with fields in two cities, as we have done in Fairhope and Daphne, is difficult logistically and is highly inefficient. Based on the current configuration of Founders Park, we cannot accommodate additional teams. For a tournament, we have just 4 f}elds we can use at Founders . The maximum capacity on those 4 fields is 30 teams . By using fields at Fairhope High and Trione Park, we have accommodated 60 teams . We would like to host more teams. Soccer tournaments allow the club to raise funds to offset the operating costs and keep player fees down. We also use the funds to allow talented players (who would otherwise not have the opportunity) to receive training and play with our club · through our financial assistance program. Fairhope is centrally located on the Interstate IO corridor allowing teams easy travel to play in tournaments. Additional full sized fields , near Founders, affords o e opportunity to host a large cer tournament each fall. Each full size field provides capacity for approxima ely li additional teams depending on age. Many tournaments attract in excess of 100 teams if the facilities are available and o ffiesmc high qu · 1ae convenient access to other 7/8/2010 activities . Our club would like to host 100 plus teams. 100 teams would bring approximately 5,000 visitors to the area for a weekend. The club intends to plan and host a spring soccer tournament starting in 2 0~1 o 2 . Sp teams as a fall event. The Mobile Soccer Club hosted a spring tournament at had 170 te in Daphne and Mobile. · g tournaments can bring as many s this y ear. They used facilities Fairhope High School hosts a school soccer tournament each spring and a larger facility would allow the school to run the event at one location and host more teams. The Blast has considered offering a summer 7 vs. 7 soccer event, as well. The state youth soccer association hosts an annual state soccer championship in fall and spring. These events exceed 200 teams and are awarded by sealed bid covering a 3 year period. Currently, the City of Decatur hosts the event at their Jack Allen Soccer Complex. To consider our local soccer program, additional fields would be a welcomed item. This year, we ex pect to have approximately 900 boys and girls participate in recreation and travei soccer from the Blast-Fairhope Soccer prog ram. The pressure on fields is tremendous considering the constant usage. To have the ability to alternate field usage thus allowing City personnel to better maintain field surfaces would be tremendous. The current soccer fields are in constant use by youth programs or the public in fall and spring. We play soccer most of the year. The fields get worn out from so much usage. The City staff does outstanding work to keep the fields up. While it would seem more fields would increase workload, the overall maintenance of additional fields may not grow as much as one mimt expect due to the ability to keep all fields in better overall condition reducing the efforts necessary to refurbish fields . I would estimate an additional 10 full size fields (in addition those existing at Founders Park) would be appropriate to provide for tournament hosting at any proposed level. If the design incorporated two fields with bleachers (similar to Orange Beach 's two primary fields), the City would have the ability to pursue the State High School Champiaosbip tonroamP-nt (has never been played south of Birmingham), college events and regional club soccer events, as well. To summarize, Blast Soccer Club would be able to expand the number teams hosted for its fall tournament and planned spring eveot I would expect we can host 100 or more teams in Fairhope bring approximately 5,000 visitors to Fairhope over weekends in fall and spring. In addition, opportunities to host high school events exist. The club would wholeheartedly support a project expanding soccer fields providing the community more fields and park facilities for their use and to host events bringing visitors to the City generating sales tax revenues and tourism for the benefit of all citizens and many local businesses. I personally support and would be happy to further discuss such a project to expand soccer facilities in the City . Dennis E. Sherrin, CP A,CV A Hartmann, Blackmon & Kilgore, P. C. Post Office Box 1469 .Fairhope, AL. 36533 251-928-2443 Celebrating our 20th Year Serving the Gulf Coast Please visit www.hbkc as.com to sign up for our news letter service . 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Although this e-mail/fax is believed to be free of any virus or other defect that might affect any computer system in which it is received, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that it is virus free ; HB&K accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage arising in any way from its use . 7/8/2010 cityoforangebeach/ob sport sple x : July 20 10 Page 1 of 2 Orange Beach Sportsplex Navigate: 2009 Jan Fe b Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug ~ Oct Nov Dec 2 011 July 2010 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thu rs day Fri rn I J un '2 8 'J9 00 1 I J ul i USSSA Base ba ll USSSA Baseball U SSSA Base ball USSSA Baseba ll US SSA Baseball USSSA B 9.,]__,& 8 World Se ri es 6,7,& 8 Wo rld 6,7,& 8 Wo rld 6, 7,& 8 World Series 9 7 & 8 World Series 6,7,& 8 'w Fi e lds Seri es Fie lds Series Fie lds Fie lds Fie lds F ield s 1,2 ,3,4 ,5,6,9,10 ,11 & 1,2,3 ,4 ,5,6 ,9 ,10 ,11& 1,2,3 ,4,5,6 ,9 ,I0 ,l l& Ll.,JA_,l,Q,9__,lQ.. 1 1 & L 2 ,3,4,5,6 ,9 ,10,l I& 1,2 ,3A.2.s 12 11 11 11 11 11 NSA Alabama All Star Tournament (Softball )F ie lds 1,3 ,4,5 Lat ino Soccer League P layoff Games FfELD7 kl l5_ Q I ~ Kl Independence Day (Fed) USSSA Baseba ll USSSA Baseball USSSA B Global World Series <:i lo bal Worl d Series G lo bal W, Fields Fields F ie lds 1,2 ,3,4,5,6,9, I 0 , 11 ,& 1,2 ,3 ,4 ,5,6,9, 10, 11 ,& 1,2 ,3,4 ,5,(' 12 12 12 11 12 13 14 15 16 USSSA Base ba ll US SSA G lob al USSSA Global USSSA G G lobal World Se ries World Seri es Fields Worl d Series F ie lds Wo rld Ser F ie lds l,2,3,4,5.,Q,9,10 ,1 1,& 1,2 ,3,4 ,5,6,9, 10, 11 ,& 1,2,3 ,4,5,(' U,J.,4 ,5,6,9, 10, 11 ,& 12 11 12 11 18 19 '20 121 122 23 USSSA Globa l Pro-Dav Base ball Pro-Dav Baseball Pro-Day Baseball Pro-Day Base ball USSSA B World Series Fie ld s Summer Camp Summer Camp Summer Camn Summer Ca m p "End ofS1 1,2 ,3,4 ,5,6 ,9, I 0, 11 ,& USSSA USSS A SOFTBALL USSSA SOFTBALL Fields 11 SOFTBALL CLASS C WORLD CLASS C WORLD 1,3,4 ,5,6 ,5 CLASS C WORLD SERIES ????? SE RIES ????? &12 SERIES ????? Pro-Day E Summer( USSS A S1 C LASS C SE RI ES? 125 t26 '27 128 '29 30 USSSA Baseball Pro-Day Base ball Pro-Day Baseball Pro-Day Base ball Pro-Day B aseball N SA/OBS "End of Summer" Summer Camp Summer Camp Summer Camp Summ er Cam p Summe rs I Fie lds Softba ll T1 l ,3,4,5,6 ,9,10 ,I J, Fie ld s 1,3, &12 Pro-Day E Pro-Dav Baseba ll Summ er ( Summ er Camp httn://our_ca1enrlars _net/c.itvofornnoehe~r.h/oh s n o rt<:m l eY 7/?1 /?()1() ~ m • :::, () ::r m Field 6 z 0 ::s- .., ~ -· :ii (C G= I Locker Rooms I L..______.,"""----7 Field 7 Soccer Stadium Field 8 DJ ' -,, CD al s» • n • :::r m CD ~ al Main Gate m ~ DI n :r • ol < I Storage I 001-1 Field 1 Field 5 - Field 4 Field 9 Entrance to Backcountry Trail Field 2 Field 3 · City of Orange Beach Parks & Recreation Department Page 3 o f 3 Staff Directo ry Angela Bateman CPRP, Recreation Coordinator 251.981.6028 abateman ci ofora n ebeach.com Jeanne Fitzgibbons , Office Manager 251 . 981 .6039 jfitz@cityoforan ebeach .com Carolyn Vines , Senior Programs Coordinator 251. 981 .3440 obseniors.@gulftel.com Danny Martin, Park Superintendent 251. 981.6626 dmartiri@cit oforangebeacti.cq_m Will Collins, Athletics Coordinator 251. 981. 9563 wcollins@cityoforangebeach .com Sue Davis, Golf Center Co-Manager 251 -981-4653 sd<lvis@cityoforangebeach .com Bill Kreamer , Golf Center Co-Manager 251-981-4653 b'®am~r@cityoforangebeach .com Sunshine Smith, Camp Sunshine Program 251.974 .2336 ssmith@cityoforangebeach .com Melvin Shepard, Aquatics Coordinator 251 . 974. 7946 obaquatics@ ulftel.com Rhett Russell , Tennis Coordinator / Pro 251 . 974.6387 rrussell@cityoforangebeach.com Dee Dee Russo , Tennis Pro Shop Manager 251 . 974.6387 grusso@ci_tyoforangebeach .com Wanda Price , Art Center Coordinator 251.981 .2787 wprice@citY.Qforangebeach.com Additional City of Orange Beach Contacts: Ken Grimes, Jr., City Administrator 251 . 981 .6979 ~im~~@gtyoforangebeach.com City of Orange Bea ch . A laba ma - "Life Is Better Here" http :/ /www.oboarksandrec.com/oarksrecreati oni nfo/ custom erservi cestaffd i rectorv . htm 1 7 /?.1 /?.010 Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission Page 1 of 1 ' NATIONA i:';,;S SO~IATION~ ~~Uffl::i ~ ~~~ @ ,9J~•~t!i~'!/1,Q,1~}ls) A", ba.~ g .. as Whether you 're a planner, player, coach or fan, everyone loves the sun on their shoulders and the sea breeze in their ha ir . And that's what y ou 'll find on the Alabama Gulf Coast. A haven for vacationers and r efugees from the cold climates, t h e area also offers almost every sports facility under the sun . An average winter temperature in the high S0's makes the Alabama Gulf Coast a perfect place for year-round sports . The Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission wants to help ma ke planning your sporting event as easy as a Gulf breeze. When you're plann ing your upcoming seasons, make sure to put Orange Beach and Gulf Shores on your schedu le. Contact Michell e Russ, Sports & Events Sales Manager at 1-800-982-8562 for further information. T hanks to our D iamond Level Sponso rs About Alabama 's Gu lf Coast-Events & Accom odations -Our Facilities -Bring Yo u r Event Sponsors -Media Room -Photo Gal lery -Vo l unteers -Newsletter -Site Ma p City of Gul f Shores I Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau I City of Orange Beach Alabama Gulf Co ast Area Chambe r of Commerce Copy right © 2010 . All Rights Reserved We b Services by Aristotle htto://www.alabamrurulfcoastsnorts.com/ 7/21 /?010 .. ·~:t j;' ->·t .. :'.. :tfi.J. ,. '· 1~' i/i ,):-.. (: .. l' .,. Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission Page 1 of2 ,-.GU '? '(' ~~ ► . .... ~ ~ ,p cotA\ll ~ ¥ ------·---·-··---' about Alabama's Gulf Coast -~-, ._ ~ ~:, • i ~ • _-.-, , r -~~-,~ ~,~"'If':~~~-= I i.: ..... -·,,_ ~~ )7>\:?t:•J.<$.{;:.;.J,•J~1(~1'i1 1 l-;•!,-1',-1 •IJ\";.;._.l•r-_ · ' • ~-"~B~>A~~l, ... ~~~ ·~ . ! The Alabama Gulf Coast is conveniently located within driving distance of many Southern cities. Atlanta, Chattanooga, Memphis, Nashville and Huntsville are all just a short day's drive away. The airports in Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida are only an hour away from the beach and offer service from a variety of rental car companies. Rooms with a view Alabama's Gulf Coast features a variety of beachfront accommodations. More than 13,000 hotel, motel and condominium units are available from luxury hotel suites to top -notch condominiums with the finest amenities. Let us work with you to arrange group rates for your event. Things to Do Alabama's Gulf Coast offers the perfect balance of non-stop activity and lay-around-doing-nothing time. In between your relaxing naps on the beach, you can enjoy all the popular Orange Beach and Gulf Shores attractions. For more information on what to do in the area please click here. Dining When all that action makes you hungry, head to the table at one of our remarkable restaurants. With the world's best fishing hole as our playground, succulent, fresh-off-the-boat seafood is the order of the day. Sample a different delicacy every day and come back for seconds. Of course, you don't have to have seafood. You'll find plenty of restaurants in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach serving steak, barbecue, Italian, Mexican, pizza, or whatever you have a hankering for. Check them out here. Shopping Shop_Qing on Alabama's Gulf Coast truly offers something for everyone. Whether you're looking for Alabama souvenirs that the kids can take home or a closet-full of Hawaiian shirts for your husband, you can shop 'til your credit card drops. Call our sales team at 1-800-982-8562 to plan your next event. Thanks to our Diamond Level Sponsors http://www.alabarnagulfcoastsports.com/about/ 7/21/2010 Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission Page 1 of 4 ,.._GO 0 .,\SI '(' II'-\ ► . ~ IP. ;? ~ cot-\tli ~ ¥ The Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission markets and sells Alabama's Gulf Coast as a premier destination for sporting events. Alabama's Gulf Coast has a successful history of hosting a variety of tournaments and events including USTA, FLW, SEC, NCAA and NAIA events. When planning your next season, be sure to include Alabama's Gulf Coast on your schedule and join the many organizations who host events along Alabama's Gulf Coast each year. Upcoming Events View Past Events More Listings: 1 l NEXT > > USSSA Softball C Class World Series Date: 7/21/2010 -7/25/2010 Gulf Shores Sportsplex Phone: 256-651 -1686 Website: www .alabamausssa.org Watch as approximately 50 teams compete in this USSSA Fastpitch Softball World Series 2010 USSSA End of Summer Beach Trip Date: 7/24/2010 -7/25/2010 Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Sportsplexes Phone: 651-1686 Website: alabamausssa@yahoo.com Come see as over 35 high-level teams compete in this exciting baseball tournament. Games begin each day at 9am. For a detailed schedule of events visit the website at www.alabamausssa.org httn://www.alahamam1lfco~stsnorts .r.om/P.vP.nts/ 7/?1/?010 .. ;; ·,~ .. ;,~,ti SPORTSPLEX Page 1 of2 "(+' •• Gu/Ff]ort Sp " '• r···· '1.:· [ OVERVIEW ] F VENT SCHEDULEj [ SPONSORSHIP J [wATERPARK j r MEDIA 1 [ DIRECTIONS . ] [ CONT ACT US ] Gulfport Leisure Services Homepage I ........ ==i 1 G~ast · I Tourism Commission ========" '1.,!_.,,"',_;., ... ~~.,,;;.,~ Welcome to the Gulfport Sportsplex Come visit us at the Sportsplex and see what all the talk is about! The Gulfport Spo rtsplex Facility hosts so me of the largest and finest national and regional tournaments and Worl d Series Events in the Southeast. Home of th e Gu lf Islands Waterpark Current Events, News & Press Releases 2010 Sportsplex Calendar NOW AVAILABLE!!! Click event sched ule on the left for details . Use Scroll bar on right to view more current news and updates htto://www.ci.gulfuort.rns.us/Ieisureservices/soortsolex.htm 7/21/2010 i .. + .. •• , •;!ti~, l-·,,-~::-w-... . "'.'·-~ ·• .... ·.~ ;;._~-=.,;;, .... , f: ~ -~ ' ,..., ... i '~.( (~ .;.· ~• .. t •• --~ .. ,J ,it ... -(':.\, .. Me dia Archive#Trickle DOwn Page 1 of7 -·· ----=~---------------------------~ . ~ ·g Iii!!:" Gulfport Spa { ,• [ , t: ¥~..: J,l,....,:.~;i,-;,....;. 1 [ Up l GULFPORT SPORTSPLEX MEDIA CENTER CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES Arc hived Articles Gulfport Leisu re Trickle-down theory pays city Serv ices Homepage By TRACY DASH tadash@sunherald.com Posted on Sat, Aug . 13 , 2005 GULFPORT -The city is $61 ,000 richer today after accepting the first of what is projected to be many monthly checks from Gulf Islands Waterpark . Mayor Brent Warr wore a smile from ear to ear Friday morning when Glenn Haggerty , Gulf Islands' chief administrative officer, handed him a check for $61 ,365 . The money represents the $3 the park allocated to Gulfport for each person admitted to the park during the month of July . Haggerty sa id 20 ,000 people visited the park between July 16 , the first day it opened , and Ju ly 31 . City officials and park owne rs say Gulfport's newest attraction is a win-win for both parties. "This will be tremendous for the city ," Warr sa id, adding he had not budgeted for the money . "I'm thrilled to have it." Although the park's opening was delayed several times because of design changes and bad weather , Haggerty said he is pleased with its operation du ri ng the opening month . "We've done as well as we expected ," Haggerty said . "We're right at our attendance goals." Even a mishap involving two teens who apparently stood too close to an underwater pipe didn't affect 1 attendance, park officials said . The pipe's suction grabbed their behinds and wouldn't let go until a lifeguard intervened . The teens were treated at a hospital and released . The park , located on 18 acres at the Gulfport Sportsplex , w ill be open daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day and will operate on weekends from the day after Labor Day until the end of September . The park will close for the winter and re-open in March , when visitors can attend on weekends until Memorial Day , when the seven -day schedule res umes . Haggerty sa id he estimates nearly 300 ,000 people a year will flock to the park . 08/06/05 Deaf Tournament Makes Plenty Of Noise LOX by Brad Kessie They warm up fo r a game just like any other co -ed softball team . Some players ta ke groundballs . Others play catch . Dennis Barnes said his Omaha , Nebraska team has a rather simple philosophy . "Just communicate , play defense , one , two , three , out," he said . htto ://www.ci.gu}foort .ms.us/LEISURE SERVJ CES /S norts nl ex/arc hiveme di a .htm 7/1 1/?010 Media Archive#Trickle DOwn Page 2 of7 Just before game time , the communication aspect of the gameplan came from Omaha 's coach . He gave a fiery pre-game pep talk that had everybody cheering . The odd thing was, the coach never said a word . That was the first time you noticed something was different about this game . Moments later, a more ovious difference . When the umpires met with both teams , nobody talked . The only sound anybody heard was a coin hitting home plate . The coaches were all deaf. So were the umps . So they spoke to each other through sign language and lip reading. Players like Kristin Marinucci spoke through their smiles . "I play for the Long Island Waves from New ark , Long Island ," she signed . Marinucci lost her hearing when she was eight. But her handicap never slowed her down . Today , she has a child , and she's one of the stars of a deaf softball team vying for a national title . "You feel like a family here . Everyone speaks the same language," Marinucci said . There are a few players on each team who have hearing aids . They can talk , thought it's often hard to understand them . For everybody else , the crack of a bat rings across the diamond . But the players never hear it. Dur ing one game , an argument broke out. And it created a rather odd scene . One team's coach questioned an umpire's call . Typically , you would hear a lot of yelling , and a few choice words . But this was a deaf tournament. Hands signed as fast as they could. Facial expressions helped you understand he conversation , and the end result. But throughout the fight , nobody made a peep . Because they 're deaf, these players enter the batter's box with one strike already against them . So they must focus even harder on the spin of the softball to overcome their hearing loss . According to Rob Sellick , sight becomes their greatest softball ally . "The most important thing is to see how they hit the ball ," he said. "If they hit the ball good , line drive, that means a good hit." Sellick admitted , "We can hear it." And then he laughed and said , 'When they hit the ball hard , we can hear it." Good hits often speak volumes about the makeup of a team . The loudest bats at this tournament for he deaf left Gulfport with national crowns . Kristin Marinucci felt like a champion regardless of a trophy . "It's just great being deaf. I love being deaf. It's the best thing in the world ," she said with a smile . And then her co-ed team got ready for a semifinal matchup in the National Association of the Deaf Sia-Pitch Softball Tournament. The tournament brought 40 teams from all over the country to Gulfport. It was the 30th men 's tournament , and the 19th co-ed event. by Brad Kessie Deaf softballers bring tourney to Coast By REYN PRAVATA/ SUN HERALD Saturday , August 6 , 2005 (SunHerald .com) Championship games today at Gulfport Sportsplex GULFPORT -Signals have always been an integral part of softball . That was on display in a big way Friday at the Gulfport Sportsplex . Forty softball teams from around the country converged on the Coast this weekend to participate in the Mississippi Coast National Softball Association of the Deaf Annual National Slow-Pitch Tournament. "I was hoping for 40 teams ," said Ralph Vice , the chairperson for the local area , through interpreter Kristin Wheatley. "A lot of people wanted to see Mississippi and they're getting to do that. It's good for he deaf community ." It's the 30th annual men's tournament, which attracted 23 teams . There are 11 women's teams competing in the 19th annual event, and six co-ed squads . Tournament Director Vance Rewolinski had a hand in bringing this event to the Coast. "We're enjoying it ," Rewolinski said , through an interpreter. "I told the committee we would enjoy it he re ." he tournament started with eight teams in Detroit in 1976 and has had as many as 54 . The play is top- http:/ /www.ci.gulfuort.rns.us/LEISURESERVICES/Soortsolex/archivemedia.htm 7/11/?.010 Media Archive#Trickle DOwn Page 3 of7 notch , as one local women's team found out. The Mississippi Coast team from Gulfport fell to two -time defending champion Los Angeles . That didn't ' seemed to matter, thought , to Laura Lee Young of Gautier. 1 "I loved it ," Young said through an interpreter. "There's a lot of teams and I like being with the deaf people ." oung's father is on the board of directors at the de L'Epee Deaf Center in Gulfport and was glad to see the involvement. "(Laura) enjoys getting involved ," Young said . "She had to grow up in a hearing world , and as she gets , older , she enjoys being around more deaf people ." i Although the competition is fierce , the camaraderie is more important. "The deaf community comes together and they love to see each other ," said Wheatley , whose husband 1 Mickey plays for the Jackson team . "It's not about wins and losses , it's about getting together ." The tourname nt ends today with the championship games in the afternoon . Before the championship starts , there will be the NSAD Hall of Fame Ceremony and afterward the NSAD Awards/Home Run Derby . From all signs Friday , Gulfport has passed with flying colors as playing host for the first time to th is national event. Sportsplex: Coast's big win By JAMES JONES/ Posted on Sun , Ju l. 03 , 2005 Gulfport facility banks funds , recognition jkjones@sunherald .com The Gulfport Sportsplex has quickly become a cash cow in South Mississippi. The $12 million facility officially opened four years ago to provide fields for local youth and adult baseball , softball and soccer teams . The facility 's longtime goal was to host national tournaments to help boost the economy in South Mississippi . By year's end , Gu lfport Leisure Services officials anticipate that the Sportsplex w ill produce a financial windfall in the area . Officials project an economic impact of $14 million to South Mississippi , with 90 percent of that going to Gulfport. Business at the Sportsplex has taken off since the City of Gulfport decided in 2003 to take over after poor performance from Southeastern Sports Management. The Memphis , Tenn .-based company was , hired to market, manage concessions and schedule tournaments at the complex in 2000 . "We've worked on building this thing for seven or eight years ," Director of Leisure Services George Decoux said . "It's come true . We've only hit the tip of the iceberg ." Decoux doesn't mind sharing the Sportsplex's wea lth with other parts of South Mississipp i. 'We spread people throughout the Coast because so many teams compete in tournaments ," he said . "Families have to find hotel rooms in Diamondhead , Ocean Springs and Biloxi. We have no problems spilling over in Hancock and Jackson counties . It puts out the message on what we're trying to do with htto://www.ci.Q.U}fuort.rns.us/LEISURESERVICES/Soortsolex/archivemedia.htm 7/11/2010 Media Archive#Trickle DOwn Page 4 of7 ·' these tournaments ." One parent told the Sun Herald that his family spends $150 a day , plus hotel expenses , whenever they're in town for a weekend tournament. Hotel rooms account for 40 percent of the total , bringing in $5.6 million . More than 3 ,000 motel/hotel rooms and 20 ,000 nights are used for the whole year. Miscellaneous activities produce $4 .9 million of the total. Thirty-five percent is spent on items such as souvenirs , gambling , movies and equipment. The final $3 .5 million is being spent on food , which accounts for 35 percent of the total. Countless area restaurants enjoy busy weekend nights whenever tournaments are in town . "The lady (Pam Meinzinger) who runs the outlet mall got mad at me because they ran out of food once at their food court," Decoux laughed . 'Whenever these tournaments come to town , I always supply her with information . The local reaction of business people have worked out for us ." The Sportsplex's biggest moneymaker is hosting the regional , world series and national championships in softball and baseball . Those money-making tournaments are held from July 1 to Aug . 7 , producing a economic impact of $9 million . Officials project a total event attendance of 74 ,255 , more than 4 ,100 players competing and taking up 2 ,750 rooms during that period . The World Series , held July 8-17 , is slated to bring $3.376 million during that 10-day span "The World Series' numbers speak for themselves ," said David D'Aquilla , Department of Leisure Services assistant director. Teams from Alabama , Louisiana , Florida , Georgia , Tennessee , Mississippi and Texas are expected to compete in tournaments at the Sportsplex this year. South Mississippi accounts for 20 percent of those squads . "Gulfport is a very popular place for tourists because of the casinos and beaches ," Decoux said . "We get teams from all over." Scheduling accommodates both the local and national tournament officials . Local teams play at the Sportsplex Monday through Thursday , while the national tournaments are played on weekends . "We have received no negative impact from our local leagues ," Sportsplex Manager Rusty Ramage said . "We prepared the facility to be diversified . We can set any field dimensions we want." Added D'Aquilla : "We're getting a good cross-section of kids and adults . We're hitting soccer , softball and baseball." Water Park Attracts Plenty of Business Posted Friday , March 4 , 2005 By Jimmie Bell Sun Herald A rainbow of water slides at Gulfport's Sportsplex is nearing completion , and there 's a good deal of excitement over what might develop throughout the 1-10/Canal Road complex . Gulf Islands Waterpark is speeding toward a late May opening of its $9 mill ion investment, which will offer a wave pool , a lazy river and 10 acres of parking . When finished , the bright colors of the slide will reach the height of a ?-story bu ild ing , giving the park httn://www.ci .i:111 lfnort. ms .11s/T .FTST TR FSFR VTl'FS/SnortsnlP.Y h,r~hivP.mP.t-fi~ htm 7/11/?()1() Media Archive#Trickle DOwn Page 5 of7 its own skyl ine . But according to George Decoux, director of the city 's Department of Leisu re Serv ices , new businesses are springing up around the intersection of Canal Road and 1-10 . Only o ne hotel exi sted there before the park arrived ; now an add itional motel , two large truck stops and a dozen assorted fast fo od and service sta ti on enterprises have arrived , he sa id. What brings new bus iness to the intersection is due in large part to the 450 ,000 sports parti c ipants and fans that go to the park each year. The park , now fou r years old , provides nine fie lds , includ ing softball and flag football , plus four international size soccer fields . Also on the drawing board are four more repl ica Little League comp lex fields imitating the design of Yankee Stadium . The park now boasts an economic impact of $8 .5 mill ion a year , with more to come . Says Decoux : "The project still has another 125 acres pu rchased by the city fo r fu ture development. And wi t h crowds of that scope , the adjacent area just keeps on growing ." The c ity has spent $12 million developing the pa rk under three separate bond issues . And in a "friend ly annexation ," the city acquired the acreage actually half a mile outside its own city limits , a virtua l municipal island with in Harrison County . It is accessible from Landon Road on the north and Cana l Road on the west. So if yo u look at the park as a real estate mag net , you 'll be able to glimpse the future under the ra inbow. The Gulfport bui ld ing permit office has just issued six permits to Hyneman for construction of mo re than $500 ,000 worth of new homes ; six to great Southern Homes for another $5 mill ion ; and three to Bayou Plantation fo r $250 ,000 valuation . Following a fire two weeks ago at Mountains ide Southern Restaurant on U.S. 4 9 north of Orange Grove Road , there's now a sign that says "reopening soon ." ater Park Is Com ing To Sportsplex 11/15/04 by Brad Kessie , WLOX TV 13 Fo r awhile , Gulfport adm inistrators wo ndered if a proposed water pa rk would ever be built at the sportsp lex. Those fears have been put to rest. The firs t pieces of Gulf Islands Water Pa rk were just dropped off at a sportsplex parking lot. And developers finally had the financ ing and the perm its they needed to build their water theme park . Developers now say the $9 mill ion water park along 1-10 should ope n next spring . he Gulf Islands Water Park is supposed to bring 300,000 peop le a year through the sportsplex complex . Gulfport expects it to be successful , because of t he baseball , softball and soccer teams that use the park each year. On th is fall day , the soccer fields had to look perfect. In a matter of hours , 600 players would be chasing socce r balls at their end of the season j amboree . Rusty Ramage runs the Gulfport Sportsplex . "Our v ision of the complex , from a programming standpoint , we 've exceeded those ex pectations ," he sa id . httn ://www.ci .QUJfnort .rns .us/T .F TSTTRFSFRVTf'.FS/Snmtsnl ex/archivem edia.htm 7/11 /?010 Media Archive#Trickle DOwn Page 6 of 7 In 2003 , a private company booked tournaments on these fields . This year , Gulfport took over those : duties . And leisure services director George Decoux had paperwork that indicated his agency did quite ! ell . ' "So it's really been a boon to us , and a real surprise ." Decoux said . ccording to the leisure services director, the number of tournaments using the Gulfport Sportsplex in 2004 doubled , from 18 to 46 . And the number of teams playing here tripled , from 424 to 1,373 . And here are already indications that more tournaments (54) and more teams (1 ,900) will play here next year. "To me , it's kind of a dream come true ," Decoux said , "not only from the big tournament promotion type viewpoint , but also from the local leagues playing in here from Monday through Thursday." I box of trophies in the sportsplex office were for the local kids . They earned the awards this fall , while ' they played soccer at the Gulfport Sportsplex . According to the Gulfport Leisure Services report , the sportsplex had 90 ,000 local league players , and 80 ,000 tournament participants . Sportsplex finally living up to its expectations By REGGIE BEEHNER THE SUN HERALD Posted on Fr i, Oct. 31 , 2003 GULFPORT -With the city reclaiming management duties of the Gulfport Sportsplex , local officials say they're finally beginning to see the $12 million sports facility live up to its initial billing. Opened two years ago , the Sportsplex was envis ioned as a public recreational facility that also could be contracted out to national softball and soccer tournaments , injecting money into the local economy . Now , after a disappointing start , in which the city left the Sportsplex's management duties to a private company, the city has taken back the reins and brought about some encourag in g results . George Decoux, city director of leisure services , sat down with The Sun Herald to discuss the Sportsplex and its role in Gulfport's future . Q: Why was the Sportsplex originally built? A: In the mid-1990s, we lost what was the city's only sportsplex at the time , Milner Stadium , which had I been sold to the Gulfport School District for a new school. We knew we needed a sportsplex for local ' leagues, so we hired a consulting group to conduct a study . We interviewed 33 citizens groups , such as neighborhood swimming teams , boxing groups , Little League organizations , trying .to find out all the things they would want. We couldn't accommodate everybody , obviously , but that's eventually what led to the idea of the Sportsplex. Q: What was the original conception for the facil-ity? A: Basically , we wanted something Gulfport could be proud of, so we set out to design one of the top sportsplexes in the Southeast. That way , it could be used for local leagues , but also leave open the possibility of bringing in large regional and national sports tournaments , wh ic h would bring some economic impact to the city . So we bought 250 acres of land for $2 .8 million , and we could probably sell that land for five times that figure now. Q: The Sportsplex, up until three months ago, had been managed by Southeastern Sports Management, a private Mem-phis-based company. Why did the city initially opt for private management? A: Initially , we didn't know whether we had the expertise within our own department to (manage) it, so e went with the private company But we quickly found out , No . 1, that it was not as good a deal that we thought it was. And we also learned that maybe we did have the expertise , after all. We were dissatisfied with their performance , so http://www.ci.gulfuort.m.s.u s/LEISURESERV ICES/So ortsolex/archivemed ia.htm 7/13 /2010 Media Archive#Trickle DOwn Page 7 of7 e split (with the company) this past September. Q : What changes have resulted? A: Righ t now we have 58 tournaments scheduled for 2004. In the two years that the management company ran things , they had 19 tournaments one year and 18 the next year. So we've scheduled more tournaments in three months than they did in two years . Q: How did that happen? A : We announced we were taking it over and made contacts w ith a number 1 of promoters , who do nothing but sponsor these kinds of tournaments . Once people understood what e were doing , we began getting calls from all over. It just mushroomed . Q: What sort of economic impact will the tournaments have? A: Sports tournaments are a big thing . It's like Cruisin ' The Coast. Some of the tournaments bring in more than 50 teams , sometimes more than 100 . That translates to thousands of people , all of whom ill stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and shop at our stores . The Ha rrison County Tourism Commission has a formula roughly estimating that next year's tournaments could put about $13 million into the local economy. And that's clean income. They spend their money and they're gone , without putting much pressure on our local in frastructure . Q : Why would tournaments come to Gulfport? A: First off, everyth ing we have at the Sportsp lex is first class . You wouldn 't bel ieve the qual ity of the grass and the bu il dings. The turf (drains) about eight inches (of water) per hour. In two years , we've never had to cancel a ballgame due to field conditions . And , second , Gulfport is a very popu lar place for tourists because we have the casinos and the beaches . And it seems to be working because we're getting tournaments from all over, including states as far as Ca lifornia . Q: What will that mean for Gulfport's government coffers? A: We hope to take some of the burden off the city and make the Sportsplex partially self-susta ining . In the long term , we hope all its operations will be self-sustaining (meaning the city won't need to budget its annual $250 ,000). And that's also the purpose of the new $7 .5 million water park (which is be ing bu ilt by a New Orleans-based investment group and scheduled to open next year). I don't th ink (the Sportsplex) will be a big moneymaker for the city , but it will provide the city with one of the premier sportsplexes in the Southeast that will eventually be able to susta in itself and not be a burden on the city . _ _J Home This site was last updated 10124107 http://www.ci.gulfport.ms.us/LEISURESERVICES/Sportsplex/archivemedia.htm 7/13/2010