FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING

April 19, 2016

 

Committee Chair Mr. Evers opened the meeting at approximately ­­­6:00 p.m. Members of the Committee in attendance were Mr. Evers, Mr. Hoefle and Mr. Zuren. Present from Council were Mr. Meyers, Mr. Kasunick, Mr. Spotton and Council President Ms. DePledge.

 

In attendance from the Administration were Finance Director Schindel, and Service Director Rubertino. Mayor Morley, Fire Chief Whittington, Police Chief Reik, CBO Menn and Law Director Klammer were absent and excused.

 

Also in attendance were members of the public.  

 

PROPOSED

To discuss the petition proposals on bids for Central Park.

Mr. Evers: It is my understanding that Eastlake has a spokes person. Would that spokesperson please join us here at the table?  All members of Council have their proposals and I will turn it over to Mrs. Trivisonno.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: Thank you for having me here. It means a lot to us that you guys took the time to look over our proposal.  I trust that everybody has read through what I sent over last week.  Just in case I will go through what we are hoping to do and how we are hoping to do it.  The purpose of this proposal is to try and keep Central Park freely accessable to the public.  We want to make sure that the public is able to access this resource that has been a huge part of our community for years and years.  What we are asking is that we lease the two parcels of land that I have listed.  What we intend to do at least at the beginning is to either remove or repair the structures on the parcels.  That is currently in disrepair.  That would mean taking down most of the fences except for probably the back stops.  We would either try to repair or replace the back stops.  We actually have a donation of dirt so we would be able to rejuvenate the in fields.  From there we will maintain the grass.  If anybody has any questions I am happy to answer them.  We have also talked about a donation to redo the roof on the pavilion so we would be able to have that fixed.  We would be looking to paint the structers and make them look more astatically pleasing. 

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Zuren?

 

Mr. Zuren: I do have some questions but my first question is for Mr. Klammer. Regarding the lease with the Croatian Organization is there an opt out clause that if for some reason the soccer fields are not put together within a set amount of time?  There is a non-proformance.

 

Mr. Klammer: I would have to review it. I will try and do that now.

 

Mr. Zuren: I do have some other questions. I think that it is extremely generous offer out of your honeymoon fund.  That you are putting up to start this endeavor.  Do you have any dollar figures for the donations that you’ve raised?  How much all together with your honeymoon fund and any revenue’s that you have gerated so far for this project?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: Right now we have $4,520.00 in cash that we would be able to use. Then we also have the donation of dirt along with the donation of roofing supplies.  It is just the starting donations.  I don’t have values for those two donations. I do have an attachment to the proposal is the estimate for removing the fences.  To remove the fences it should only cost around $6,000.00 and we are pretty close to that already.  Without having the lease it is a little difficult to ask business to donate to something that may or may not happen.  I have about a dozon people who said that they are willing to throw fund raisers.  Like 50/50 raffels or just all sorts of different events to raise money.  Once we get dirt on the infields there are all sorts of oppritunity to raise funds by hosting tournaments and having different events on the fields.  I am also willing…in the proposal we say that we will have the fences down by September.  I would be willing to put a term to any sort of lease that says if the fence is not down by September the lease terminates and you guys can decided on what to do from there.  Something like what you are asking Mr. Klammer if they had an ACL lease.  That would make sure that we actually do what we are proposing.

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Zuren?

 

Mr. Zuren: I have a few additional questions. I have a question regarding the phase one regarding the school district.  Have you contacted anybody at the school district?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I have and I met with Mr. Nedlik today. He said that he believes that the school will be ok with us removing all of the fencing.  He had also said that he thinks that the board would be open to going into some sort of a joint lease agreement.  Where is we did want to develop those fields into anything different.  Say for example putting in temporary soccer fields or other softball fields.  He thinks that the district would open to that.  He said that we could remove all the fences on the school district property as well.

 

Mr. Zuren: Thank you.

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Zuren?

 

Mr. Zuren: You may have touched on this before in comments just a few minutes ago but did you have a dollar figure for the demolition of the pavilion, accessory structers, consession stand? I know that you briefly talked about that can you go over it one more time?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I am pretty confident that they will not need to be demolished. I think that there might be some repairs that we will need to do.  We haven’t been able to go into the structers yet to get any sort of estimates.  Once we get into the structers and we find out that there was some sort of huge issue that needed to be repaired.  They are in pretty good shape from what it looks like.  It looks as though it will mostly be paint and maybe a couple of patch work jobs here and there.  It doesn’t look like there is anything hugely wrong with them.  So no we do not have an estimate, but I don’t think that they will need to be demolished.

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Rubertino?

 

Mr. Rubertino: I agree with that. I don’t think that there is a need…it is not a necessity.  The interior of the building is pretty in tact.  There might be some cosmetic work and some inside wall repair.  The only thing would be the outside structer would need a roof on the building itself.  The pavilion is solid and the roof would be the other issue.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: We have a donation for the roof.

 

Mr. Rubertino: For the building itself interior wise it is pretty in tact. I don’t think that there is an issue with any demolition in that regards.

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Zuren?

 

Mr. Zuren: I have a question regarding the maintaince. What has been created for the maintaince of the lawn it is briefly covered on page two?  I am not sure what you have done to make sure that it would be taken care of on a regular basis.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: We have one member of the Eastlake Community Partners and he is here today Mr. Floyd. He has a commercial lawn mower and he said that he would be willing to maintain the grass.  Of course we would enter into some sort of formal agreement to make sure that actually occurred.  We have also contacted Harvey from the MRDD Program.  That is the program that is in EPAL.  They are in the EPAL building and part of what that program does is teaches adults with disabilities how to do certain tasks.  The individual who runs that program has said that he would love to have some sort of partnership with us.  Where the help us maintain the grounds as a way to help those adults learn more about lawn maintaince, lawn care and skills.  We have two different methods to maintain the lawn.  One is from the MRDD program and the other would be Mr. Floyd.

 

Mr. Evers: That brings up my question. Is Mr. Floyd here?  Mr. Floyd my question is going to be towards you.  Are you insured and bonded through the City of Eastlake?

 

Mr. Floyd: No.

 

Mr. Evers: Do you own a professional lawn care company?

 

Mr. Floyd: No.

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Zuren?

 

Mr. Zuren: My question is for the chair. Since you maintain the EPAL property how many people have you visually seen using this property daily or weekly?  Can you give a number? I don’t know if it changes during the winter or the summer, but if you could give me an estimate on how much it is used at this point.

 

Mr. Evers: That is a difficult question and I will answer it to the best of my abilities. I am answering from EPAL and not as a Council.  It is very, very sparsly used during the day.  You may see one or two people up there walking their dogs.  Over the course of the last year that EPAL has been in that building there has been no softball activity up there.  Besides an occasional five or six guys coming up to have practice or something like that.  It’s a crying shame that it is used so little.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: If I may add.

 

Mr. Evers: Mrs. Trivisonno?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: If I could just add that I have been up at the park all the time recently for various occasions. I think that we were there two nights ago and there was a group of ten people who were using one of the fields for softball practice.  We had a meeting at the park in the morning on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to about 12:00 p.m. and I think that we saw four people walking their dogs through the park.  Everytime that I have been there I think I’ve seen somebody who I didn’t invite to the park using it in some way.  I often ask them did you anything that is happening with this park?  Do you know what we’ve been talking about?  It was always no. So then we would stop and tell them well here is our proposal and here is what is happening.  I am not there all of the time but I know that when I am there I have been surprised and pleased with the number of people who I’ve seen there.  That is not just as somebody who is trying to keep it accessable to the public.  It is as a resident sorry I can’t recognize.

 

Mr. Evers: We will rcognize the public after the meeting. We will keep the Council members questions going first please.

 

Mr. Evers: My next question and it will go to you. The insurance…it says that you will hold one million dollars worth of insurance in property damage insurance in that amount.  Are the people on you committee insured under this policy?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: We do not have a policy yet because we do not have the lease yet.

 

Mr. Evers: Would they be insured under this policy?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I don’t feel confident answering that question quit yet. Because we don’t have the lease yet and I haven’t contacted multiple insurance companies and I haven’t done any quotes.  It’s hard to get a quote for insurance for property that I don’t have a lease.  If it is something that is required by the city than of course we would cover everybody who is a part of ECP.  That would have to be something that I’ll look into further.  We did get a quote for insurance like the one million dollar policy and it was a reasonable quote.  I don’t know if it included the individuals who are a part of the ECP.  It was a quote for the property.

 

Mr. Evers: Was the insurance quote for an exact one million dollars? Or is there an aggregate clause on there?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: You looked at the insurance not me.

 

Mr. Trivisonno: It was like one million. Two million dollars I think would have been the aggregate.  I’m not sure we haven’t really delved into the insurance at this early stage.

 

Mr. Evers: Ms. DePledge?

 

Mr. DePledge: Just for the record Mrs .Simons that was Mr. Trivisonno who was speaking.

 

Mr. Evers: I want to go back to the lawn maintain. I understand that he will take care of the lawn but you also have spring clean up and fall clean up that has to be done.  Is that included?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: Absolutely.

 

Mr. Evers: Are there any other questions for any other members of Council? Mr. Zuren?

 

Mr. Zuren: I have a question for Mr. Klammer. On page one under phase one the items that are discussed are removing the fence.

 

Mr. Klammer: Are you talking about their proposal?

 

Mr. Zuren: Yes.

 

Mr. Klammer: I don’t have that one.

 

Mr. Zuren: It talks about removing the fence structures and I believe that there are five of them. Also the demolition or repair of the pavilion, accessory storage structure, consession stands.  I believe that there was something about a score board but if that is not…there is also a timeline on page two which is September 30.  If that is not completed by September 30 would that void the contract?

 

Mr. Klammer: I think like your question earlier to me on the Croatian Center proposal. This is just a proposal we could put what ever terms that we want to put in there.  Like we do here if they don’t live up to…if the Croatian Center doesn’t submit plans that the city can review in soul discression and don’t follow through with the improvements.  They have the right to terminate this.  You can include similar provisions like that.  As far as the timeline goes…

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Spotton?

 

Mr. Spotton: I have a question about the maintaince. The gentleman that will do the lawn who is going to maintain the surfaces of the fields themselves?  The dirt and the stripping are a different project.

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Floyd?

 

Mr. Floyd: As far as the fields and stuff like that I am more of a commercial than just a lawn mower. I have a gater, another tractor that we could use to drag the fields.  Also other leagues Mr. Godshaw who runs a league down in…he takes care of that field.  He is also interested in doing some things over there with us.  We have support from the Softball Hall of Fame and all kinds of support in the softball community to maintain the fields and to keep them nice.

 

Mr. Evers: He just said that you have support from the softball community. Name them who are they?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: From the softball I didn’t…

 

Mr. Evers: No my question is to you.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: From the softball community I know that Mr. Floyd has talked to the Softball Hall of Fame and they have shown their support. He has talked to the current president of the USSSA who has shown their support.  I have talked to Ms. Lang who is involved with the Eastlake Girls Softball. She said that although Rosemarie current isn’t interested but Stacy is interested in helping us fund raise.  She is really passionate about helping us fund raise.  David Godshal the coed league he helps to maintain the Boushie Park and he has also shown his support.  I think that is four different leagues that have in some ways said that they are supportive.  They would love to use the park or the space to use those fields.  I think that it is also important to know that we want them to be more than just softball fields.  We do want to maintain the dirt and we want to….

 

Mr. Evers: Please we are trying to record this. It is very difficult for our girl in the office to hear everything.  So if we have side conversations going on please wait to be recognized.  Thank you.

 

Mr. Trivisonno: I think that it is important to know that we want them to be more than just softball fields. Although we want to maintain the dirt and to make sure that softball can be played on those fields.  By removing a lot of those outer fences you will be able to play soccer there and there is enough room for a football field as well.  You could play rugby and there are all sorts of oppritunities for groups to play at that field once you remove the fences that are currently encroaching the park. 

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Zuren?

 

Mr. Zuren: I have a question regarding the softball fields. It specifically says softball fields and it doesn’t give a number.  Is there a number that you are proposing that will be in this park?  A number of softball fields.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: It was unclear because I wasn’t sure where the Willoughby-Eastlake fields stood. I think that we would like to maintain all five of them if we can.  We would be willing to…if somebody from the city has another idea.  Or if they thinks that some of that land would be better used for something else, then we would be open to adjusting that number.  As long as there is a demand for all five fields then we can get the dirt for all five.  I think that we could get the people to maintain all five softball fields.  Like I said we still want the park to be used for other things as well not just softball.

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Rubertino?

 

Mr. Rubertino: Just to clarify the city does not own all five fields. A couple of them are Washington Elementary.  Just clarify that we have three fields that are city fields.  The fourth field I think is a boundary issue, but we have used it in the past.  The other two fields are Washington Elementary School.  They belong to Willoughby-Eastlake Schools.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I spoke with Willoughby-Eastlake Schools today. They said that they were willing to let us continue to maintain those fields.  He was pretty confident that the board would be ok with that.

 

Mr. Evers: Are there any other questions from Council? Mr. Kasunick?

 

Mr. Kasunick: If you are not granted a lease for this property do you intend to turn your attention to other parks in the community? Or does this pertain only to Central Park?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I think that whether or not we are granted this lease we are interested in looking at other parks in the community.  And to make sure that we want this whole community and parks in the community to be used by the public either way we will be looking at other parks as well and doing what we can.  Right now we are focusing on this park because this is the one that the public might loss a lot of its access too.  That is why we are here with this proposal.  We want to make sure that this park is freely accessable to the public so that the public doesn’t have to pay to use the park at their leasure.  Just because we are granted this lease doesn’t mean that we won’t look at other parks in the community as well. 

 

Mr. Kasunick: What if you are not granted this lease?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I am not going to retaliate by not caring about the city. I will still care about parts of the city even if we are not granted this lease.

 

Mr. Kasuncik: You mentioned demand for softball. It has been my understanding that softball and baseball have declined in popularity over the recent years particularly amoung young people.  Has anybody assessed what the demand is? If there is a high demand how come those fields aren’t being used?  How come no one has stepped in and offered to repair them or anything?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I don’t have anything more that anidotal evidenance for you. I know that by talking to lots of different groups there is a demand for rec leagues that is on the rise.  Right now a lot of people are doing travel ball.  It is stressful to families to have to pay for travel ball along with having to pay for travel.  From when Mr. Byran talked to different softball groups they have all said that if you fix up these fields we would love to be there.  We I was at the park on Sunday I heard about that the Eastlake Girls Softball tried to clean up two of the fields last summer.  They spent their time and energy to take out the weeds on those fields and to try and make the playable.  They had two practices there and then Willowick Boys Baseball came in and played on those fields.  They kicked out the Eastlake Girls Softball.  I think that there might be some demand that is just stories that I have heard from people in the city.  I think that there might be some demand but because there isn’t a central organization to help schedule when the fields are going to be used and who is going to maintain them, along with when they are going to be used.  I think that it is difficult for groups to put themselves out there to maintain the park.  If they don’t know that they are going to have access to those fields in the future.

 

Mr. Kasunick: I though that if the Croatian Lodge took over this property and that is really a non-transferable deal. We can’t really tell them to go to Bruce Yee Park or anything like that.  I think that it would be great if we have community resources.  If people would help to repair Bruce Yee Park, because I was just there today and I took a lot of pictures.  That park looks horrible compared to even Central Park.  It is much worse.  You have graffittee all over the walls and this park is supposed to be a memorial.  I just wanted to point that out.  If we have community resources to…I am sorry this isn’t a question this is just my personal opinion.  You have community resources to fix the park I think that it would be a moving tribute to late Mr. Yee to fix Bruce Yee Park.   Here are some pictures if anybody cares to see them.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I would like to respond to that. I think all of our parks in Eastlake are valuable.  I think that we have a shamefully small amount of public green space that our residents are able to use.  I think that we need to save and preserve it all.  Make it freely accessable to the public.  I think that community resources aren’t as limited as I think that some people feel that they are.  Let’s say that we are granted the lease at Central Park and we are able to hold tournaments there, then we will be able to make money.  That money could go to other parks in the community.  It could go to fixing up Bruce Yee.  If softball leagues are playing at Central Park then they can also continue to play at Bruce Yee.  We have people who are currently maintaining Bruce Yee Park.  I know that Mr. Godshal is and it is still in disrepair.  I think that it’s the wrong way to look at parks.  To say you know…ACL you take Central Park then ECP take Bruce Yee.  I think that all of the parks in Eastlake should be freely accessable to the public.  Not just one or two. 

 

Mr. Evers: Are there any other comments or questions from Council? Mr. Rubertino did you have something?

 

Mr. Rubertino: I would have a statement later if it gets to that.

 

Mr. Evers: Now is your chance.

 

Mr. Rubertino: I have been in this community for twenty five years and not out of context or disrespect to the members who are here trying to get this going. I hear a lot of ifs and unfortunately we have been through many, many, many volunteers.  Nothing is eched in stone as far as I can tell other than a lot of promises.  Unfortunantely they are only as good as the day that they come to show up.  Prime examples are the Beautification Committee where we have people who are willing to come and they never come.  I don’t know about girl’s softball actually doing any work over there at the fields nor anybody kicking them out.  Two years ago the youth softballwas there and the boy’s softball was there and it was declining for four years prior to that.  It has been an on going process and unfortunately the funding from the city has not been there.  Whether they can afford to do it or not it is just not there.  The past administration has abandoned any maintaince on those fields other than cutting the grass.  I applaude them that they are stepping up and I think that it is kind of late. It is two years, four or six years after the fact that these fields have been in decline.  The volunteers are great but they are only good when they are here.  They just don’t last.  The promises can be made a mile long and tomorrow if you can’t make it here and the fields get under water then you know where we are at.  It is my understanding also that and Mr. Klammer you can correct me on this.  They are only talking about the first two fields for the Croatian Lodge right?  Then that leaves the third and Washington’s still available.  They are not going to cut off access to field number three.  This is to my knowledge and I could be wrong.  Field number three is not in the plans to be removed or taken out of there nor is the Washington field.   My question is how does that impact the availability of those four fields not to be able to play on.  Even when the Croatian Lodge is in there with our soccer fields?

 

Mr. Evers: Mrs. Trivisonno?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: We took a Google map version and place these fields on it from the ACL. They just don’t fit without encroaching onto that field.

 

Mr. Rubertino: On field number three?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: Maybe there is an orientation that I didn’t try. It just wasn’t possible.  I would also like to respond we are more than volunteer’s.  We are entering into a lease agreement with the city where there are legal reprocutions if we don’t follow through. 

 

Mr. Rubertino: But are your finances etched in stone? Is everything that you are proposing to put out there… and this is just my personal question?  Is everything there that you are saying is here?  I have been reading everything that is on here.  It appears to me whether the word is volunteer or not it appears to be all volunteer.  I don’t see anything other than the fact that you have someone who is willing to do the roof, maintain the fields, and willing to give dirt.  No names of who is…what value there is to that?  My question is going to be as it has been is the volunteers and I may be wrong in using that word.  To me it is a sense of volunteering.  We have been that route many, many, many years.  I’m not saying that you aren’t going to be different and they are going to succeed.  But I haven’t seen it yet.  If you have something etched in stone as opposed to something that we are hoping could happen.

 

Mr. Evers: Mrs. Trivisonno?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I think that is a valid concern. It is also a concern that I have shared about the ACL lease.  When you read the ACL lease there is much in there that forces them or requires them to do certain work.  Or they don’t exactly show how they are going to. 

 

Mr. Evers: Let’s deal with facts and not opinions.

 

Mr. Rubertino: That’s good and she is right. I agree with you and your right.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: That is whats in the lease.

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Klammer?

 

Mr. Klammer: I think that what you are expressing that this whole things just became complicated. If we could just make sure that everybody from the community understands that it is not a competition of whos project is better.  Ultimately if the city is going to consider a proposal they are going to come to somebody like me, Mr. Rubertino or the Finance Director.  They are going to say what organization has the where with all to satisfy its obligations under the lease agreement.  Whatever it is and you do that with any comparison.  I think that ultimately…look nobody in their wildest dreams is going to ask you folks to use your honeymoon fund.  That is just not the way any community works. It also points out to the fact that we are not giving a detailed analysis as to how much this project going to cost and where the financing is going to come from.  I think that is Mr. Rubertino’s concern.

 

Mr. Rubertino: It is.

 

Mr. Klammer: Over the years…these people in the city. We have lawyers on Council and cops and these people have been these same problems.  I have been here for fifteen years and for the better part of fifteen years we have heard different leagues fighting with each other.  Somebodies not mowing the lawn, why is this person there, why are the weeds to high.  If we had a recreation department your scheduling issue is dead on. If we had a central scheduling way to do those things a lot of those problems could settle themselves.  We don’t have that resource.  So the question is the added benefit of having an organization like the Croatian Center.  They just happen to be the only one with a synergy being nearby with parking and a commitment to soccer.  This is probably the biggest sport in Eastlake and let be candid.  The Croatian community especially in the sport in Northeast Ohio is emence.  The investment that they are going to make is not only do they have the where with all to live up to their oblgations.  The improvements they are making have a capitalized life well in access of putting some paint on some walls and repairing a roof.  I think that ultimately that is what you are hearing in a lot of these questions.  The proposal that you thus far even though it is just on paper and it maybe get better from there.  But we are talking about some paint and doing some roofs to just get by.  The Croatian Center has a proposal to put in basically state of the art.  Can’t say world class because it is still in Eastlake, Ohio, but these are leagues that travel across the contry to these tournaments.  They are first class facilities for soccer although during a period of time they will have in a sense the first right to use those facilities, because their scheduling is so complicated.  In the long term those facilities theoretically become the cities.  So it is not just repairing a couple of pavilions it is finding a way to make massive improvements to the community at little or no cost to the city.  To give all of these people their park that they want.  That is what the Mayor and Council are hoping that this relationship with the Croatian Center or whoever it might be that has that same where with all.  What they are hoping to do is to work hard and smart to bring to the community an awesome recreational facility at little or no cost to the city.  That is great government and I think that ultimately that is the concern.  No body wants to hurts anybodies feelings but we are going to have to find that where with all for you guys to live up to that contractual obligation.  So the fact that the contractual obligation exists which you referenced that is only part of it.  All of the breaking a contract gets you is law suits it is the where with all that we care about.  Cities don’t want to go through that type of stuff.  It seems to me that there is a proposal here that they have that is not only good to the city.  If we work that as a frame work can provide the other residents the softball facilities and those other types of things that they think might be wonderful or appropriate.  I think that there is an oppritunity there instead of the fighting.  I know that’s well beyond the legal analysis but I think that it speaks for importance of the contract.

 

Mr. Evers: Mrs. Trivisonno?

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I think that you bring up some good points and reasons that members on this Council are in favor of the American Croatian Lodge lease. My concern and part of what I think our proposal provides is a park that I think the city could maintain.  I think that our proposal is a park that the city could maintain.  So in fifteen years our city cut some grass.  We are confident that our city could cut some grass in fifteen years.  In fifteen years I don’t know if our city is going to be able to maintain state of the art soccer facilities.  I know that if what we do and let’s be clear.  Our main objective is that we want to remove a lot of that fencing that is preventing us from having a seven acre green space.  Once we do that then I know that is a park that our city can use.  Not just tomorrow and not for the next fifteen years but for fifty years.  We are going to be able to maintain the lawn I hope.  I hope that our city can cut grass for the next fifteen years but I guess that I don’t actually know.  While they might be able to put in who ever know how much money worth of soccer field improvements.  Those are improvements that the ACL will get the most use out of.  Even when they are back to the city I don’t know if the city is going to be able to maintain them.  Then the city is going to be faced with fencing that they have to remove.  We are going to be in the same position in fifteen years.  What our group is trying to do is not to provide some sort of fancy state of the art facility.  We are trying to create a park that our residents can enjoy for fifteen, twenty, thirty or fifty years. 

 

Mr. Evers: I want to address some of the financials real quick. You have a quote from Best Buy Fence Supply for $6,250.00 to remove fencing.  This quote does not include removing the scoreboards and electrical wires.  It’s not on the quote.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I know and I could get back to him if you would like and follow up. When we talked to him and he gave us this quote.  First we talked to him in person and then on the phone.  He was clear that it included the scoreboards and everything else that was on the….

Mr. Evers: Your total on this exceeds the amount that you say that you have by nearly $2,000.00. That is a major concern for me. Also I don’t think that you have take into consideration the other bills like utility, electric and water.  Those have to be considered.  Mrs. Schindel were you able to pull those up today for me?

 

Mrs. Schindel: I was not able to find any water bills but I was able to find the electric bill. For the last two months it is running approximately $300.00 a month.

 

Mr. Evers: The water bill…

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: For what specific….I’m just confussed.

 

Mr. Evers: Hold on. The water bill comes through the community center, ehich is paid by EPAL.  So that is another stubbling block that we have.  That is run through our meter and our sewage I do believe.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: Is the electric for the consession stand? What is the electric? Is it for the…

 

Mrs Schindel: There is a property number on here that I just don’t have details as to exactly whats causing the electric to be running.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: Interesting.

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Rubertino?

 

Mt. Rubertino: The cost of the electricity does seem exorbant to me. In a building that is empty.  There are coolers that are in there.  I believe that we cut the power to those coolers.  The meterm does go to that building.  Just so you know we just got this today.  Mrs. Schindel and I talked earlier and I am going over there tomorrow to see…for the life of me I don’t know what is $300.00.  I don’t have that at all.  It does seem exorbant I mean my house with two kids doesn’t cost me $100.00 a month.  Little own $300.00 a month.  If there are coolers or something in there that are running that could be the only issue that I would get it to that figure.  The water does run through PAL or the Community Center itself.  That would be something that would have to be addressed but the electricity does seem kinda crazy.

 

Mr. Evers: I would like to go back to an additional quote. I assume that this is for back stops for an additional quote for another $2,300.00.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: That is if we wanted to buy all new back stops. Looking at the back stops I am fairly confident that we could maintain the back stops that are there.  I would have to get another book to verify.  I know that the funding the most difficult of this proposal.  I think that if you are to look at any new non-profit the funding would of course be a challenge.  It is also something that….we have been working for what one week and we already have donations of a roof, dirt and donations from different members of the community.  We don’t have the lease agreement in hand.  So we haven’t even gone to business to say we are trying to build this park for the community do you have any funding that you could provide us.  Without the lease in hand who is going to say yes.  I think that it is difficult to ask business to do.  There are all sorts of grants that we would be eligible for.  I know that there are difficulties in actually receiving grants.  That is still a potential funding source.  There are dozens of people who have told me that they would be willing to throw fund raisers.  Frankly I don’t think that the lack of funding our group would have to come up with and we would have to deal with.  I know that it is something that as Council you don’t want to just sign a lease agreement.  Handing us over some land without the group being able to pay for it but we are only $2,000.00 short of paying for the removal of the fencing.  If we don’t get that done by September 30^th then you can terminate our contract.

 

Mr. Evers: You are more than $2,000.00 short. You haven’t secured or taken into consideration the exact cost of an insurance policy yet.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: Maybe $3,000.00.

 

Mr. Evers: Ms. DePledge?

 

Ms. DePledge: What you are asking us to do is to take a sure thing that we have that is going to benefit the community. That is going to draw hundreds of people here every weekend.  It is going to fill up our restaurants, hotels and put Eastlake on the map for some people.  That is a sure thing.  They are funded and they are a 501 C3 and they have their status.  And you want us to compare that to an uncertain…I love what you are doing and I think that it is great.  I energy might be in the wrong place, when you talk about green space in the City of Eastlake.  There is the Bruce Yee ballpark which we talked about. 

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I have been to all of those.

 

Mr. Trivisonno: There is Classic Park, which is maintained. There are areas around the Community Center like the skate park, the dog park, Eastlake Gardens, Houston Fisher Pool and Jackson. You guys could start your funding, do your fund raisers, you could have people come because you want to do these improvements.  These are things that Mr. Hoefle and I talked about two or three years ago with the Recreation Levy and it went down.  Houston Fisher Pool, the JFK Center, and Surfside Park we had to back fill in the pool, because we couldn’t maintain it.  Taft School Senior Center there is all of these other places there is the Metro Park off of Rural Road for green space.  We are about three or four miles from a Metro Park.  There are places for people to go.  We are not cementing over a green space.  It is going to be improved and it is going to come back.  Fifteen years is a long time for us but in the life of the city it’s really not that long.  So I just want to make sure I understand you are asking us to put something realtivly solid aside.  Wait and see if you can be successful in four months.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I am asking you to keep the park accessable to the public. This is your best change at keeping the park freely accessable to the public for fifteen years.  The ACL proposal sounds like an exciting prospect for the city.  It sounds great when you say that people are going to fill our restaurants and everything.  That doesn’t change the fact that those seven acres won’t be freely accessable to the public.  I think that’s what Council needs to be valuing is what is going to best benefit our residents.  I think that keeping all of our green space not just twelve out of the thirteen places that we have.  All thirteen place freely accessable to the public.  I think that this proposal is your best chance at doing that if the city can’t do work itself. 

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Zuren?

 

Mr. Zuren: I had question and it is directed towards Mrs. Trivisonno. I am looking at the map of Central Park and I can not see why both of these can’t exist.  It looks like they are taking ball fields and the tird ball field is actually pointing away from the soccer fields.  So I don’t see how this land can’t be used for the greatest benefit of the city.  That is a fully funded American Croatian Lodge who can defiantly follow through on what they are saying.  I love how excited everybody is and everyone wants to save this park that has been neglected for years.  I don’t see how they just can’t both coexist.  We have the best of both words.  We have funding and the people coming into our city from the Croatian Lodge and then we have our parks fixed up.  The other side of the park fixed up.  I don’t understand how that’s not an optinon.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I guess I never said that it wasn’t an option. I am here to represent Eastlake Community Partners and the proposal that we submitted.  Nobody has requested any sort of compromise position or asked for a compromised position.  From where I stand if we can keep all seven acres freely accessable to the public then that is my first choice.  If the only other choice we had is some sort of negotiation then…like I said I never said that wasn’t an option.

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Kasunick?

 

Mr. Kasunick: If I am misunderstanding here somebody by all means correct me. Just replacing back stops isn’t going to work for a softball league they need the whole field fenced in am I correct?  You would have to replace the fencing entirely.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: I have learned some things about softball recently. From what I have learned as long as they have back stops and an infield they can play.

 

Mr. Kasuncik: They can play but would leagues be interested? I know that for your church picnic or something yeah, but for a serious league wanting to come if they want.  They want the fence out in the back so they know when they have home run.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: What we’ve talked about and it is in phase two of the proposal. It displays that I designated I guess more like funding.  If we could get rec leagues to start playing on those softball fields then a revenue source for us.  It is something that we would like to see down and that is to have portable fencing.  That is the fencing that you will see at Todd Field that is the orange fencing that you can put up to move and change.  We would like to down the line use something like that, because that allows you set up the portable fencing so you can hit your home runs. Then you can also take it down to let the field be open.  If that is something that leagues could purchase.

 

Mr. Evers: Are there any other questions or comments from Council? There is nothing under Miscellanous.  We will open the floor to the direct admission of the public.

 

Mr. Evers: Mr. Rubertino?

 

Mr. Rubertino: So nobody has reached out on either side to see if you could coexist? Is there anybody here from the Lodge? Have you reached out to this group at all to see if there is some way that you guys could coexist?  Has that been done at all?  I would hope that somewhere between the two of them that if this is a project that you want.  From what my knowledge is that field three is there.  The fields on Washington are there and if the school board permits it.  I get your idea that you want the whole park for green space.  I am just wondering why we can’t find a happy medium to coexist.  At least reach out and see if that is an option rather than where we are today.  It is either give me this or give that to them.  Again I look too far back and I can’t help but look back and say at the volunteer status of it.  The definite status and how come we haven’t reached out to each other to try and find out if there is a way for both of these entities to coexist and benefit.  To me that is the full benefit to the community.

 

Mrs. Trivisonno: We just need some more time to put together a joint proposal.

 

MAYOR’S COMMENTS

Mayor Morley was absent and excussed.

There were no further questions or comments.

LAW DEPARTMENT

Mr. Klammer was absent and excussed.

There were no further questions or comments.

 

FINANCE DEPARTMENT

Mr. Schindel had nothing to report.

There were no further questions or comments.

MISCELLANEOUS

There was nothing under Miscellaneous.

REGOGNITION OF PUBLIC:

Bill Palicheck, 86 Pinehurst Blvd., Eastlake

Mr. Palicheck: I have a bunch of notes so I appoligize if it is not as coherent as it should be. First off I want to start off with what Mr. Rubertino said with what he has done with his crew to keep the city running with the budget that he has. I agree with what he is saying in that respect. He does know those kinds of things. I come here as an independent and I don’t happen to be on the ECP or anything like that, however I will support them if they happen to get the contract. There are people that are asking about funds. I certainly would submit funds to something that they don’t have a lease for, because there would be a service charge for me to pay that. Then they would refund the money and then have to pay another service charge. That wouldn’t be fair to anyone. I am sure that there would be a lot of people who would donate. I am sure that we could make some type of short fall to make that up. I do understand those types of concerns, but the problem is we are taking about a sure thing. I have no opposition to the ACL’s lease. They can bring world class soccer, however, unless your watching Lister in the premire league maybe some people don’t care at level of soccer. Or they don’t care for softball or we keep hearing about field three. That is great if it is still owened by the city and people can use it. However, my concern comes for green space. Again a lot of people don’t like soccer, but families like palces for their kids to play. My concern is for having a free green space with possibly a playground for the kids in that neighborhood. I don’t like anywhere near there. I live near Bruce Yee and take my kids sledding there and I understand how bad that looks. I understand why we would want to continue to beautify the city. However, I would say that perhaps with this proposal and I haven’t heard all of the details. It hasn’t been presented that I know of or I have heard what the ACL proposes in writing and what we are getting as a city. I hope that we would get more than a dollar and the promise of a world class soccer field in fifteen years. My thought is as a compromise is that maybe scale back a field. Take a field out of there and maintain a playground for the kids in the neighborhood and things like that. As a concerned citizen that would be one of my main things. I think tha is one of the key things that the ECP is trying to do in its own right. I think that are a lot of people in the city that don’t want either or but they would like to see some type of sound give back in the ACL lease to the rest of the city. That is primarly why I am here and why I am concerned.

Mr. Rubertino: I would love to have them both.

Mr. Evers: Thank you.

Mr. Rubertino: I think that both of them could do it.

Mr. Evers: Is there anybody else?

Byran Floyd, 976 Mountain Drive, Willoughby

Mr. Floyd: I have live in Eastlake for the last year. I come in as a kid I played there on the Eastlake Boys Softball League. I know that history is history and that the future is the future. When we talk about the history of the city I think that it is important. I am sure that some of you know and a lot of you probably don’t that Eastlake had one of the most successful youth softball organization in the country. It won fourteen world champion ship tournaments between the eartly 1980’s and late 1990’s. It was all homebase for that. The boy’s youth softball in general does not exist and where it does exists in the state and in the country. I think that the history there is important and obviously for someone like me it would be sad to see it go. Whatever is best for the city either way. The only problem that I see like Bruce Yee obviously that has a lot of great history of softball as well. My dad used to play on the fire cracker and all of that. That is a field that we could definantly utilize and I would be interested in fixing up and making it a better park along with making the space beyond the outfield looking good. As far as Central Park goes…as far as names for the donations for the roof and stuff we do have names. We have Ken’s Parkhill Roofing that is going to put the roof on the pavilion. As far as plumbing they have agreed to do any plumbing that is needed inside the building if necessary. We also have DeMilta is going to donate the dirt for the infields. Willoughby Supply Mr. Romannee is who we spoke with is all about youth leagues and recreational leagues in general. Whether it is softball, baseball, soccer, or flag football he said that if there is anything that you need to let me know. Another person of Eastlake who has a big business in Eastlake is Pepco and Mr. Gorke whom I haven’t spoken to recently. I did reach out to him and I guess that he is going to call me back at some point. A few years ago we discussed Central Park because I was involved with the boy’s league. Mr. Gorke owns Victory Park over on the Westside. He puts a lot of money into it and it is a big baseball and softball complex over there. I am sure that he would be more than willing to help out he is a big supporter of the Hall of Fame. There is funding out there we just haven’t had enough time to really for sure say that we have it.

Mr. Rubertino: What was the roofing company?

Mr. Floyd: Ken’s Parkhill Roofing Company.

Mrs. Trivisonno: And Willoughby Supply.

Mr. Evers: Is there anybody else from the public willing to speak?

Marco Mazar, Vice President/Board of Directors, Croatian Lodge, 34900 Lakeshore Blvd., Eastlake

Mr. Mazar: I have made many of these previous statements on different platforms and some of you may have already heard some of this information. However, I would like to go on record to say some of these things openly to the public. It is great to see Eastlake residents share the same level of passion for the city of Eastlake as the American Croatian Lodge. The City of Eastlake is currently going through some economic hardship due to several factors. One factor is failure of numerous proposed levies, which has led to the decrease in city services. This has impacted many things such as city staffing cuts, budget decreases for all public entities, school closures and our neighborhood parks not being maintained properly. For the lodge’s stand point it is important for us to operate our business and have our non-profit organization operate in a safe area. For the city has all of it’s amenaties to offer its residents, business and anyone affiliated with the city. It is also my understanding that the Lodge has spent million’s in property and city taxes in the past 32 years. It is just as disappointed as many of the residents here with the current outcome and predicament. And we want to be part of the solution and to show that we are a part of the community and truly care for its well beining. We are trying to come to the table and offer a solution to the problem. Originally the Lodge has inquired about purchasing this property to expand the kid’s soccer program, which is in fact open to the public. After watching the land decline other investment ideas for this area along with the School Board’s property has been discussed. Such as a retirement center or a complete sports program. We have also suggested having a festival every year on the entire campus. With have of the proceeds benefitting Eastlake Schools. If the property is offered for sale then there is a completely different set of procedures that could change the circumstance. Clearly the Lodge is concerned about the potential developers purchasing the land, the city rezoning the property and the possibility of low income housing being built on this property if it does go for sale. Not only would this cause a depreattion of value for the Lodge’s property but it would question the safety of our children. That are not only Croatian desent but from all kinds of decent and most of the residents Eastlake’s children. Please keep in mind that in this lease agreement this is for the purpose of a non-prifit kid’s soccer program. I would like to emphasize this not a semi-professional league or professional league that large revenue streams or profits and giving us the flexability to perform something that is unfeasible financially. The Croatian Lode is keeping Eastlake’s community in mind with this deal. The playground will no be dismanteled and representatives are working closely to ensure the benefit of the community at large. Even on the proposed diagram to the city the playground, basketball courts and the skate park are all left in tact. The Lodege stated that we work with the small kid’s program to give them access at cost. We have already discussed in our program and implamented an Eastlake kid’s discount for our soccer program. Not only offer this program this free program to our community members but to everybody in Lake County. We want to be able to offer the same level of services to the kids. In the agreement the Croatian Hall would also have their own access along the back and we would use our own parking lot. The Lodge would be will to work with Eastlake in any other way to make sure that the property and share risk investment to the land to make it a better place. As it is well know many residents….

Mr. Evers: I am sorry I have to cut you off. You are at the three minute mark. I appreciate your comments and I am sorry but there are a lot of people here tonight.

Mr. Mazar: That is fine.

Mr. Evers: Is there anybody else?

Christina White, 35299 Beachpark Ave., Eastlake

Mrs. White: I don’t understand if…I just heard him talking that…

Mr. Evers: Comments to the chair please.

Mrs. White: I just heard him talking and I was just wondering if they don’t get rid of the playground and we do have access to the space and everything I am for that. As long as we have access to the spacebut if it is that we can’t go there or we have to rent it out I just don’t think that fair for us. I have lived here forever and we were here before Route 91 was built. It hurts and I that your discouraged. It hurts to see the town go down so much. You are sitting here saying it’s a for sure thing. It’s not a for sure thing that people are going to come to our restaurants and stay at our hotel, because of a kid’s soccer league coming here. That’s not even a for sure thing with her proposal. We don’t know and all I know is that I want to make sure that our city is benefitting from a deal. A dollar isn’t benefitting us at all green space is. I would like to say that I live here and we have this park over here that looks nice and this and that. People with families will want to move here and say hey check this out. This park over here is a beautiful place. Not like where are the parks at? There’s one over there with graffiti all over it. That is what I am looking for and that is what I am here for. I just want to make sure that our city is benefitting that is all that I care about. I know that I am putting all kinds of money into my house, because I plan to stay here. I plan to live my days here and that is it. The only place that is benefitting here is Wal-Mart it seems like. That is all that I have to say and I hope that even if a coexisting plan could come…I never even thought of it and I think that it is a great idea too. Who is to say that in a couple more years we could even put up batting cages? There are no batting cages anywhere around here. You could do something like that even to make some money from it. Think about it where are there batting cages around here. Putt-putt is gone. Right over here on Lost Nation other than that you have to go over to the west side. People were all over the place. We were there with the girl’s softball league and I was one of them who got kicked out because of the boy’s. Willowick was all the time….our place is flooded again hey could we come and use your fields? There are so many oppitunities and so many things.

Mr.Evers: Thank you and is there anybody else wishing to speak?

Angelo Trivisonno, 34186 Waldmere Dr., Eastlake

Mr. Trivisonno: The first thing that I just wanted to emphasize with this plan. I really appreciate dozens of questions that have been asked about this. On Monday of last week before the Council Meeting Mrs. Trivisonno received an email at 1:47 p.m. to submit a park proposal by 5:00 p.m. for a seven acre park just to have the vote postponed. It contingent almost like we were held hostage if we want to stop this vote. We need to submit….

Mr. Evers: All of your comments come to me.

Mr. Trivisonno: A fully developed park plan in three hours in a work day and on a Monday, which is the worst day of the week for the both of us. So we had to set a lot of our work aside and come up with an entire park proposal for seven acres. I think that the proposal that we submitted to this committee goes above and beyond even what most cities are trying to do with a Recreation Department. Just casually starting a Go Fund Me online campaign we have raised $520.00 in just a couple of days. We haven’t actively attempted to really fund raise. I think that just shows if you help us light this fire and get this going this is defiantly something that we can do. In just a couple of days we’ve raised more money than the cities been able to comtinue the levy funding. To be serious maybe the entire community doesn’t want to individually chip in a dollar for a hundred thousand dollars in their home value. There are so many residents that we just talked to when walking through the park. That we just meet day to day walking through the community that do want to donate more than just a dollar. To see the recreation and the parks brought back to life and at least competitive with the surrounding communities. I think that is the first thing and the second thing that I think that is great is that other members also want to see our parks re-developed. Right after Mrs. Trivisonno had acl surgery we visited every park in the City of Eastlake and took over 300 pictures and that was back in June before any of this happened. We would love to help rejuvenate each and every single park. We kind of got this issue dumped on our laps by a surprise. We never knew this deal was alive or dead. This is the third issue that is issue has been brought back to a committee. We never know if this thing is going to go through or not. Going back to that we all coexist I know that there is a Nike sight that is ten acres and I don’t know who is going to be able to build structures there. Right now I think that could be the old JFK Senior Center. There is a pavilion, bocce ball courts there that are not used. It is right by where the school district parks there buses. I think that if we really want to think about the best space where we could put all of these things that could be a great location. If that is something that Council is really interested and honestly interested. Thank you for letting me share those comments.

Mr. Evers: Next?

Chris Krajnyak, 1278 Waverly Rd., Eastlake

Ms. Krajnyak: I really appreciate the idea of what you are talking about Mr. Rubertino. I think that it is really important…

Mr. Evers: Again please all comments come to the chair not to the table.

Ms. Krajnyak: I was really impressed with what our Service Director said. I was very ambivalent on this when I first got involved with it. Because on paper it sounds fantastic…the ACL is fantastic. I like this idea of compromising; however, I really wish that Council and Finance would have already done what we are doing. We are asking the questions that could have and should have been asked already about a compromise. Is there a little bit of a give and take, can you give more than a dollar when you do some fields and some green space as opposed to a dollar. Those kinds of questions are what we are asking and should have been asked already. I am kind of courious as to why specifically Mr. Floyd would be required to hold insurance or bonded in the city. Considering the man who cut the grass was just a resident with a lawn mower and who took care of it personally. I don’t believe that he was ever bonded or insured and I could be wrong and licensed with the city. I think that is an irrelavent question. I am courious as to if every person in EPAL or the EPAL board is covered by insurance only because that is what was questioned.

Mr. Evers: Yes they are every member of the board.

Ms. Krajnyak: So every board member but not….

Mr. Evers: Every board member and employee is covered by our insurance.

Ms. Krajnyak: So you have one large insurance policy covering everyone. I appreciate Bruce Yee Park but we don’t own it we lease it. Our land in the City of Eastlake that we own is drastically detirourating and that is an issue for me. Sure we have parks but we don’t own them. The one that we do, which has turned out to be a rather fantastic thing in relation to the YMCA; however, I see the parks being completely run by the YMCA in about five years. That will mean no control by our residents, by our Council or by anything. We are giving it away. As far as the volunteering goes and I understand volutering believe me I run a group since 2008 of nothing but volunteers. Sure you get about 25 or 30 people doing 99% of the work and that is generally how it goes. I don’t think that is a deal breaker and I don’t think that it should be a deal breaker. Part of Willoughby is volunteer. Volunteer and business servent was founded by my mother and I am very proud of where it is today it is all volunteer.

Mr. Evers: Is there anybody else?

Mr. Rubertino: If I may and unless my figures from the County are wrong the city does own 7.11 acres of Brue Yee. The only thing that they don’t own is the hill its self and where the temporary Fire Department was at the time that they repaired the bridge on Lakeshore Boulvard. I just wanted to interject that in there that 7.11 acres of that property does belong to the City of Eastlake.

Ms. Krajnyak: Could I ask what part of that park is used?

Mr. Evers: Please raise your hand and be recognized.

Chris Krajnyak, 1278 Waverly Rd., Eastlake

Ms. Krajnyak: Is it the fields that we own or do we own areas in the back that are not usable at this time? They have trees, foulage and things that uaseable. Which as you have pointed out that we can’t cut our grass so we can’t develop this space? How much of the fields and space that is being used is ours?

Mr. Rubertino: We can’t develop the side of the hills and I think that is part of the land there. I am not 100% positive but from where the right field line is up to the horse farm belongs to the horse farm. Everything north of that including the wood line, how far up in the wood line I can’t tell you. I am sure that the boundaries on hillcrest are the lots are 160 feet deep. So if you from the hillcrest to 160 feet deep from that point on that bowl that belongs to the city. Is is developable on the side of a hill? I don’t know. I am not a builder but the property itself in and of itself which is 7.11 acres of it belongs to the city. I am just trying to point out that it does belong to the city. If I get over to the Community Center or Central Park I have not heard from the Croatian Lodge or anybody else that there is no park there. I still don’t know where you’re loosing a certain amount of green space. I guess that is wording that your group wants to use, but you still have green space there. You are going to have a majority of the green space still available. To my knowledge the park is not coming out which is directly behind the Community Center and beyond the proposed soccer fields is still park area. There is a portion that is being developed and there is still a portion of its….your not losing that aspect of it I guess.

Mrs. Trivisonno: This is more of an answer as a resident. Because the ACL proposal was so vague its been really unclear when there is green space, what is going to be fenced off, what is not fenced off.

Mr. Rubertino: I agree with you and I don’t know either.

Mrs. Trivisonno: It is hard for me too…

Mr. Rubertino: I am on the same boat knowledge wise.

Mr. Evers: I am going to address the insurance issue with you. Today we live in a sue happy society. I applaude you for volunteering to cut the grass but if he is out there cutting the grass and the mower hits a rock and it kicks out and hits someone in the head. Who are the parents going to sue? He has to cover himself and that is my concern.

John Zivich, 975 Mannering Road, Eastlake

Mr. Zivich: I would like to know how this is pushed on us at a dollar a year for fifteen years. The Croatian Lodge is a club that we have other soccer clubs in our area. How is it going to benefit our youth? Are we going to always have access to it? Or are there going to be admittion charges? It is going to benefit the Croatian Lodge and I see it as benefitting them not Eastlake or any of the restaurants. It will benefit them and they are getting the land for free. That is what I am angry about.

Mr. Evers: Ms. DePledge?

Ms. DePledge: The dollar a year lease it is what we have done on several occasions. It is how we get people and business involved in our community. There has to be a give and take. We do it with the Houston Fisher Pool, the YMCA. The 501 C3 leases from a dollar a year in exchange for that they put in and someone can correct me if I am wrong with numbers. It is around $80,000.00 to run the pool and they take care of it. The other reason why the pool is open is because we get a corporate donation. Somebody made a comment about what will happen with the pool? We don’t have a recreation levy and the city does not pay anything to operate that pool because we don’t have the money. If that corporation pulls out and people don’t buy pool passes there isn’t going to be a benefit to the YMCA. So eventually that park may close. As your Council President and being a life long resident of Eastlake that is what I see happening with the pool. Because voluteerism and donations are only going to get us so far and that’s the dollar a year lease. We also do it with the EPAL Center and the Senior Center. EPAL took over all of the expenses for the Community Center and the Senior Center took over all of the expenses for the Senior Center. They pay all of the utilities and they do the maintaince. The reason why we do the lease is so we can keep the property. We don’t want to give away all of our assests. We want to keep them. This is a way for them to be maintained and a lot of time improvements are made to them and then they revert back to the city. Our whole goal is to hopefully that in fifteen years things will be a little bit different. We don’t want to give away Central Park it’s not for sale and it has never been for sale. We don’t want to sell it, because we want to keep that as an asset to the city. That is how the dollar a lease comes out. Theres an exchange there and it may not translate right on to paper but we have done it repeatedly historically and we benefit from it. The residents benefit from it.

Mr. Rubertino: This was not pushed on us either.

Ms. DePledge: It was not pushed on us.

Mr. Rubertino: I don’t know where the pushing comes from.

Mr. Evers: For our Council Clerk to record the comments I need the name and addresses. The last thing that I want to do is to get into a debate. Mr. Zuren?

Mr. Zuren: I had a few questions for the Croatian Lodge. Has there been a time frame established as to when you will start preparing the soccer fields? Also fencing has been mentioned by half of the people and will there be fencing that is going to be put up around the soccer fields?

Mr. Mazar: The diagram shows the fencing as to where it will be lower and where it will be higher around the perimeter. There will be lower level fences for people that have access to go across and walk through it. Regarding the time line a time line has not been put into detail. Because of the inability to make a sound decision on which avenue that we are go through or which decision that we are going to make. So if this doesn’t get passed until June then obviously the time line will be pushed back.

Christina White, 35299 Beachpark Ave., Eastlake

Mrs. White: I would like to make a statement about the comment that the gentleman just said. You were talking about the dollar lease. All of the dollar leases that we do is for benefiting the city though. EPAL benefits our city because it takes care of the children and has activities for the kids and things like that. That is benefiting our city. Our kids go there for a dance or when they have fund raisers. They have something going on all the time for the kids in our city. The same thing goes for Fisher Pool anybody can go get a pool pass. It’s just like the same thing that Eastlake will be running it. You go get a pool pass and you are welcome to go there when ever you want. I go there for free because I am a YMCA member. The dollar lease would make sense with them because that is benefiting our city. When we are giving the ACL a dollar lease for them to go play on a field and we may have to rent or make sure that we call them to say can we go on this field. Then for them to say no you can’t on this day or this day. Or that we are booked. That is not benefiting the city. To me that is the difference with the whole dollar leasing. If they were like yeah go whenever you want…walk the park or what ever. I would be like well alright go ahead. It does concern me that after the fifteen year lease that are we going to be able to keep up with facility that they build. We don’t know where we are going to be in fifteen years. Things haven’t been getting better. They really haven’t been. In fifteen years we still aren’t going to be able to run that to be honest. The reason why a lot of people aren’t passing any levies and everything is because they are not seeing anything that is being done. You guys see it because you know what is going on. When we are driving on the roads all we see is garbage or cracks in this or that. That is why a lot of people aren’t passing levies, because they are not informed enough. There aren’t any recreations and things. There isn’t anything fun happening and nobody wants to put stuff into something that’s not happening. That is all that I have to say.

Bill Palicheck, 86 Pinehurst Blvd., Eastlake

Mr. Palicheck: It is a question and a statement together. I understood that there were two parcels being submitted as part of the lease. Many of us do understand that a non-profit usually gets some type of dollar lease, because it’s part of the legal agreement that for a dollar we get this. Usually there are other things specified in a statement of work saying here is what the city benefits. There are intangible benefits such as people coming to the city. There is any argument of are most of the people in these leagues are they here in the City of Eastlake? So that we’re not getting that much traffic coming in for these types of things, but the primary cocern would be is what parcels are exactly involved? To see a formal statement of work that the ACL is presenting to the city and what are we getting other than the fields being improved? Which is a good thing, but again in fifteen years after depreseation and things like that we don’t know what that real value will to the city in the future, however, if there were some other tangable things given to the city. If there were parts of the property that were such as the playground area or something that they were going to say as part of this work we will maintain. Instead of the city resources, which we obviously have none if they were going to maintain those things. Or things like that. If that were part of a formal statement of work I think that there would probably be less opposition or maybe apprehension to that. My main question is about the direct parcels involved and what is left out of there. Which I think is part of what the ECP primarialy concerned with. What green space do we have left? Thank you very much.

Mr. Evers: Mr. Klammer?

Mr. Klammer: The lease does…just to clarify because I know that a lot of times the ill will happens. Maybe it’s the ECP was when they were talking to their neighbors and giving their neighbors the impression that somehow this is happening without the public being made aware of. When we started discussing this in December in the Committee Meetings. There was a Committee Meeting on December 1^st, December 8^th, and February 22^nd and then it moved into Council Meetings. Council put it on three different readings until the last minute we had a proposal. I understand that they felt like it was a last minute request for a proposal, but it had been on going since December 1^st. I think if I am using my recollection discussion have been loosely had before the election of last year. So we are at a six month period and I know on behalf of my client that Council did everything they could to make sure that the public was aware of these things. As far as the lease goes we have the dollar lease, but we do have in the agreement that the property is going to be improved substaintially consistant with what ever the sketches were. I will have those. We included in the provision that says in sole that the improved in substantially consistant and the sole discression of the city. So the city has the sole discression to determine whether that is substaintially consistant with what ever we talked about. With the drawings attached and any additional improvements reasonably amended by the city. So the city has had a cooperative relationship with them since December 1. The goal was that once we finalize this protion of and we reduced it from 20 to 15 because of the residents concerns. We had this provisionary that there would be this give and take with the Croatian Center and the Building Department and community if there needs to be any green space. All of that is accomidated for in this lease. I don’t want the residents to think that it was over looked, because it wasn’t. It’s included in here and it is included there for a reason. Then when we did have some back and forth about the community having access the Croatian Center in my experience was resepive to that. We included a provision in there that says that they are going to provide good faith efforts to accommodate other youth soccer leagues affiliated with the landlord, which is us, on a case by case basis. To everybodies defense we put in there upon reasonable terms and conditions. The plan is and somethings things don’t go as planed but the hope is for the community like Eastlake and longtime resident like the Croatian Center. That we could find a system that works that gets the improvements that allows them to have access for their youth leagues. Allows as things develop the city to have access for its youth leagues at no cost, which is in the lease agreement. To the extent that there was a misimpression from anybody that these things weren’t accomidated for they were accomidated for. They have been accomidated for since December of last year. I think that they will still be accomidated for going forward. Just to clarify those things. I don’t want anybody to get the misimpression that anything was jammed down anybodies throat. That certainly wasn’t anybodies plan.

Mr. Evers: At this point I am going to take one more comment.

Chris Krajnyak, 1278 Waverly Rd., Eastlake

Ms. Krajnyak: I can appreciate that you are saying that it wasn’t shoved down anyone; however, since this began nobody has heard anything about it. I am telling you from a resident’s prespective. Regardless of your feelings of social media or News-Herald or the news channel I would think that such a big decision like this coud have and should have been put forth to the people. When I requested letters to be sent out to the people that live around the park Mr. Morley said that he would amendable to that. Nobody has received a letter yet. So nobody has even been informed that this has even been an issue or a discussion. I guess with that type of history of not putting it out there and communicating it to the residents. Not even one article in the Gazettee except for Mr. Spotton has this ever been discussed. To say well we meet on Tuesday’s you should come that is not acceptable. Because of that behavior one could then be concerned that in the future going from this point forward. In the discussions that you hope to have with the Croatian Lodge, which I think is wonderful that they would be amendable to suggestions. I am concerned that still the resident’s aren’t going to be informed in totality. That is what my concern is.

Mr. Evers: Thank you. At this point we have nothing under Miscellanous. I am going to pull Council at this moment. I said that I would allow one more comment and that was it. We are way past our thirty minute mark on public comments. I am sorry. You are out of order sir I am sorry.

Member of the audience: I will leave that is not a problem but when you did say that everyone would have thirty minutes to talk when everyone here at this table had plenty of time to talk.

Mr. Evers: The public protion of the meeting is thirty minutes three minutes per person. Thirty minutes total. I also stated that I would allow one more comment, which I did. We will allow one more and that is it.

Robert White, 35299 Beachpark Ave., Eastlake

Mr. White: I have heard the lawyer more than once tonight say that the zero or little cost to Eastlake. That sounds like the zero or little cost to the stadium that we have. That put us in…

Mr. Evers: That is an irrelavent statement. This has nothing to do with the stadium.

Mr. White: I am talking please. I am addressing you. He said it is to be a case by case whether they want to allow a league into their fields. It never says that they have to it says that it is discressionary. So they can turn away everybody that they fell like as soon as that lease is signed. They can say we are sorry that we have no room for you guys. We will push the city out and if there is an agreement between them that is a different story. I have to see where the land that they want to develop if it cuts off from EPAL going through or not. I personally go through there four times a week with my dog and my kids. Does Eastlake own the Washington playground or is that the….

Mr. Evers: It’s to Washington School.

Mr. White: Who owns the school?

Ms. DePledge: The School Board.

Mr. Evers: The Willoughby-Eastlake School Board.

Mr. White: Eastlake does not own that playground.

Mr. Evers: No.

Mr. White: So than in the future they could say that we want this land so we have to remove this playground. There we loss another playground. The other ballparks aren’t Eastlake’s they belong to the school board. So therefore they want to take all of Eastlake’s ballparks. How many ballparks are in that park?

Mr. Evers: Field three is particially owned by the City of Eastlake.

Mr. White: Particially so that means that they only own half of it. If we will say half you can’t go anymore than 50%. That means that they could take half of the field and you can’t play half of a field. Essentially you are going to be giving away all of our green space for a dollar a year. For them to profit and Eastlake gets nothing. You haven’t shown one thing that Eastlake is going to profit off of this. Everyone knows that there are restaurants here anyway they are always lying.

Mr. Evers: At this point I am going to pull Council as a whole either table or reconsider. Mr. Meyers?

Ms. Krajnyak: Can we ask what you’re considering? I’m sorry.

Mr. Evers: No you’re not.

Mr. Meyers: Reconsider.

Mr. Evers: Mr. Kasunick?

Mr. Kasunick: My ideal outcome from this meeting as Mr. Rubertino had suggested I think that the ECP should table the matter say for two weeks. We will have a Council Meeting next and we won’t vote on it next week. We will have another committee meeting the following week. That will allow the two parties to get together and speak. That would be my ideal outcome is to allow that extra time at this point.

Mr. Evers: Mr. Zuren?

Mr. Zuren: You took my exact thoughts. I think that it should be tabled and postponed for two weeks period. I think that the two parties need to talk and work it out. If you look at the map its pretty clear that they could both coexist and help the city instead of hurting the city by eliminating one of the parties.

Mr. Evers: Mr. Spotton?

Mr. Spotton: I also think so.

Mr. Evers: Mr. Hoefle?

Mr. Hoefle: I’ve listened to both. Seeing what the Croatian League has sponsored with the ECP. I keep going back to what the community and over the years passed. Levy after levy being shot down even a Recreation Levy that we put on a few years back. Which would of generated the average homeowner in Eastlake a $1.25 per month and resident’s of this city basically said no. They didn’t want to put anything towards recreation. I am a firm beliver that I think that we should just move it forward to Tuesday of next week and have a vote on it. My opinion I have looked at both lease agreements and I am in favor and I will state it right now of the Croatian League’s proposal. That is my opinion.

Ms. DePledge: I am a blend of both. I think that we do need to move it forward. I think that we owe it to the Croatian Lodge to move forward with this lease. To give them an opportunity to do what they need to do. I also think that there is going to be enough vacant property there that the ECP group can continue with there funding and planning. They can still present Council with that section of property that is not going to be utilized by the ACL. I don’t think that we need to delay the ACL when I believe that this originally came back around election time. We have been doing this for several months. I would like to see a blend and I think that we need to move forward with the ACL. That is my opinion.

Mr. Evers: Four of our members have said that they would vote to table it. Even if we move it forward it would be a waste of Council’s time.

Mr. Meyers: Just for the record I like the compromise idea. I think that it benefits everyone for the two groups to work together. With that being said I think that as long as they are willing to work together I don’t have any issues with moving it forward.

Mr. Evers: Let’s pull a committee. Mr. Hoefle?

Mr. Hoefle: I say to move it forward to a vote on Tuesday night.

Mr. Evers: Mr. Zuren?

Mr. Zuren: Table it for two weeks.

Mr. Evers: The issue is going to be tabled for two weeks. After two weeks we’ve got to move on this. I don’t think that we have enough votes to pass it through Council at this time.

Mr. Klammer: I guess we will have to officially ask the Mayor to take the lead on it.

Mr. Evers: With that the motion is tabled for two weeks.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:33 p.m.

tms      

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