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Home My WebLink About06 - NBLL Batting Cage Request @ BCSPAiG�Yk�y,� M a A �SftDU #h�Y IIC% FROM: SUBJECT: Parks, Beaches & Recreation Commission Sean Levin, Recreation Manager Newport Beach Little League (NBLL) Batting Cage Request Item 6 January 2, 2007 RECOMMENDATION Approve NBLL request (Attachment A) to build a batting cage between fields 1 and 2 at Bonita Canyon Sports Park. BACKGROUND The demand for field use continues to rise with increased pressure on the inventory of available fields. The addition of Newport Coast, Santa Ana Heights and the proliferation of year round sports continues to impact the available fields for youth sports use. As an organization, NBLL is proposing a solution by requesting permission to install a batting cage to increase practice opportunities for teams. This additional batting cage would allow three teams to practice at the same time increasing the efficiency of field use by 33 %. Staff from General Services (Irrigation and Parks Staff) and Recreation met onsite (Attachment B) with NBLL to determine the best location. Attachment includes the basic design of the cage and staff has notified residents within 500 feet of the proposed batting cage location. If approved NBLL would be responsible for all costs, including engineering drawings and submittal of plans to the Building Department for approval and proper inspections. Additionally, the two trees located in the section where the batting cage would be built will be relocated within the park. Attachments: 1. NBLL Request 2. Photograph of the proposed cage site 3. Design from Luna Fence Attachment 1 From: Emery Molnar [mailto:emery@taisei.com] Sent: Monday, December 18, 2006 9:46 AM To: Levin, Sean; 'Banning, Bryan K [PVTC]' Subject: RE: Approval for 2 new batting cages at BCSP1 and 2. Sean Thank you for considering approving the batting cages at Bonita Canyon Sports Park. NBLL has been raising funds to improve the BCSP, currently we have spent funds on dugout screens and infield grass /clay to improve the facility for our players. The batting cages would be the next logical step in improve the facility and make it more valuable. The addition of the BCSP has put a dent in the City's field shortages but the addition of the batting cages allows NBLL to utilize the facility similar to the other City baseball fields. Currently, Lincoln, Eastbluff and Bonita Creek fields all have batting cages. The cages offer multiple team use and more efficient practice time. NBLL use the cages at Lincoln but due to the amount of practice time available, the limited number of cages (2) and the number of teams qualified to use the batting cages (34), it is impossible to let all teams use the cages. Ultimately, we use Lincoln to its maximum efficiency, one team on the field and the other team in the batting cages. Even with sharing of the facility, less than half of our teams aged 9 and above are able to use the batting cage. If we were able to add the batting cages at BCSP, we would be able to effectively increase practice time slots available to our teams. Three user advantages, the kids really appreciate the opportunity to hit in the cages(makes them feel like big leaguers), the coaches are able to run practices without have to chase balls and it is allows batting practice to be held in the safest environment. We understand the BCSP is one the jewels of the City's athletic fields and NBLL will make sure the addition of the batting cages will meet your design and quality requirements. We have raised the funds to complete this improvement and hope the City will grant our request. Emery Molnar NBLL Vice President Good morning Sean, I just faxed you over the drawings from Luna's Fence to build two batting cages at Bonita Canyon Sports Park 1 & 2. Our league as around 1,000 kids and there is very limited space where the kids can practice. If we can build the batting cages then we can have one team hitting in the cages while another team practices in the field. Therefore we can have two teams practicing at the same time instead of one and do a much better job of utilizing the existing space. I will get you some pictures of the proposed site this week. Please let me know if there is anything else that you will need to help you make your decision. Thank you, Keith Keith Banning, CFP The Banning Group Senior Vice President - Wealth Management Certified Financial Planner Smith Barney, a division of Citigroup Global Markets Inc ■ - �� \.dd� a 4 c tS 2 D � � 4 a Attachment 3 a, 4