Council wants more stadium access for community
Sep 24, 2009 | 783 views | 1 
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The Patterson City Council last week reluctantly agreed to make the second of two $150,000 contributions to the refurbishing of Patterson Community Stadium.
The council voted 3-2 at its Sept. 15 meeting to complete its $300,000 commitment to the Patterson Joint Unified School District, despite worries about limited availability of the stadium, track and field to members of the community.
Councilwoman Annette Smith said the district has not lived up to promises it made during a 2007 council meeting. A district presentation at that meeting indicated the stadium would be “used in accordance with Patterson’s park hours,” which go from dawn until dusk.
The stadium is open Tuesday and Thursday evenings, on weekdays before school starts and for two hours in the morning on weekends, and it is also used by school and community sports teams. Smith said she has heard multiple complaints from residents that the stadium is not open to the public often enough.
“We’re living up to our obligation,” Smith said, referring to the first $150,000 installment the city paid in 2007. “I don’t feel the school district has remembered their obligation.”
City Manager Cleve Morris, along with multiple council members, said school district Superintendent Patrick Sweeney contacted them before the meeting to assure them the district would work with the city to increase the stadium’s availability.
Sweeney said in an e-mail to the Irrigator that the district would sit down with the city this week to hammer out a new schedule, which should be announced in the coming weeks.
He also said the stadium will be open for the 2010 Apricot Fiesta fireworks show for the first time since the renovation. Spectators had used the stadium in the past as a vantage point for the fireworks but were not allowed to do so the past two years, because of the possibility of damaging the artificial grass surface with food, drinks or gum.
Sweeney said the stadium’s hours have been limited at least partly because the city has not provided staff for supervision more than two days per week.
A city staff report made reference to a comment from the 2007 meeting by Dave Klein, Patterson High School’s athletics director, in which Klein said the stadium would be open to the public on weekends once a security system with four cameras was installed.
Such a security system was never installed, partly because of lighting concerns, and the stadium remains open only during limited hours.
Councilwoman Dejeune Shelton said she’d like to see the stadium open more, but only if measures can be taken to ensure the safety and security of those using it.
Mayor Becky Campo said she was comfortable with making the final payment to the school district, but the Patterson Parks and Recreation Department would have to work with the district to make sure the stadium is open to the public.
“If it is a community stadium, make it available for our community,” Campo said.
Along with Smith, Councilman Dominic Farinha expressed the most concern about making the payment. Farinha said he would prefer to wait until the city had something in writing from the district outlining the hours the stadium would be open.
Smith said she never would have voted to contribute $300,000 in the first place if not for promises of availability and security — which included both cameras and a turnstile entrance.
Councilman Sam Cuellar eventually moved to make the payment and instruct city staff to work with the school district on a new schedule. The motion passed 3-2, with Smith and Farinha dissenting.
Mark Wheeler, the school district’s manager of facilities and construction, stepped to the lectern later in the meeting in an attempt to quell any hard feelings and assuage any doubts about the district’s intentions.
Wheeler said the district will come back to the council next month with a written outline of the stadium’s availability.
“We’re going to be your partner, and we are committed to that,” Wheeler said.
• Contact James Leonard at 892-6187 or james@pattersonirrigator.com.
The council voted 3-2 at its Sept. 15 meeting to complete its $300,000 commitment to the Patterson Joint Unified School District, despite worries about limited availability of the stadium, track and field to members of the community.
Councilwoman Annette Smith said the district has not lived up to promises it made during a 2007 council meeting. A district presentation at that meeting indicated the stadium would be “used in accordance with Patterson’s park hours,” which go from dawn until dusk.
The stadium is open Tuesday and Thursday evenings, on weekdays before school starts and for two hours in the morning on weekends, and it is also used by school and community sports teams. Smith said she has heard multiple complaints from residents that the stadium is not open to the public often enough.
“We’re living up to our obligation,” Smith said, referring to the first $150,000 installment the city paid in 2007. “I don’t feel the school district has remembered their obligation.”
City Manager Cleve Morris, along with multiple council members, said school district Superintendent Patrick Sweeney contacted them before the meeting to assure them the district would work with the city to increase the stadium’s availability.
Sweeney said in an e-mail to the Irrigator that the district would sit down with the city this week to hammer out a new schedule, which should be announced in the coming weeks.
He also said the stadium will be open for the 2010 Apricot Fiesta fireworks show for the first time since the renovation. Spectators had used the stadium in the past as a vantage point for the fireworks but were not allowed to do so the past two years, because of the possibility of damaging the artificial grass surface with food, drinks or gum.
Sweeney said the stadium’s hours have been limited at least partly because the city has not provided staff for supervision more than two days per week.
A city staff report made reference to a comment from the 2007 meeting by Dave Klein, Patterson High School’s athletics director, in which Klein said the stadium would be open to the public on weekends once a security system with four cameras was installed.
Such a security system was never installed, partly because of lighting concerns, and the stadium remains open only during limited hours.
Councilwoman Dejeune Shelton said she’d like to see the stadium open more, but only if measures can be taken to ensure the safety and security of those using it.
Mayor Becky Campo said she was comfortable with making the final payment to the school district, but the Patterson Parks and Recreation Department would have to work with the district to make sure the stadium is open to the public.
“If it is a community stadium, make it available for our community,” Campo said.
Along with Smith, Councilman Dominic Farinha expressed the most concern about making the payment. Farinha said he would prefer to wait until the city had something in writing from the district outlining the hours the stadium would be open.
Smith said she never would have voted to contribute $300,000 in the first place if not for promises of availability and security — which included both cameras and a turnstile entrance.
Councilman Sam Cuellar eventually moved to make the payment and instruct city staff to work with the school district on a new schedule. The motion passed 3-2, with Smith and Farinha dissenting.
Mark Wheeler, the school district’s manager of facilities and construction, stepped to the lectern later in the meeting in an attempt to quell any hard feelings and assuage any doubts about the district’s intentions.
Wheeler said the district will come back to the council next month with a written outline of the stadium’s availability.
“We’re going to be your partner, and we are committed to that,” Wheeler said.
• Contact James Leonard at 892-6187 or james@pattersonirrigator.com.
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comments (1)
« docholliday wrote on Thursday, Sep 24 at 10:09 AM »
PHUSD....you have to remember that the community helped put this stadium together....let them access it now.....Put in the securtiy cameras if you are concerned about it.....ACCESS NOW....
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