Mayor: Vote on Pullman Park agreement may come later this month
The City of Butler is keeping its eye on the ball when it comes to a management agreement with Butler Area School District for Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park.
The city could move forward with plans as early as the next council meeting.
Mayor Bob Dandoy brought the topic up at the city forum meeting on Thursday, May 15, as a means of updating the board on ongoing discussions between the two entities. He said he was pleased by the progress being made thus far.
“There’s still some work to be done, but it’s pretty much fine tuning now. I think we’re both anxious to move forward,” he said.
Dandoy said he will share some documents related to the agreement with council in hopes of gathering feedback. He also toured the park on Wednesday to begin listing out and calculating a final cost for repairs the park will need.
“There are things that need to be fixed, that need to be taken care of,” he said. “Things that I wasn’t aware of, for instance, broken seats.”
Tom Breth, the solicitor for both the city and the district, said one benefit of the management agreement would be a reduced cost on certain repairs, such as turf.
“The school district has a vendor that’s already scheduled to do work at the district’s baseball field, so they can add it on so it’s a greater discount,” Breth said.
As for the City of Butler Parks, Recreation, Grounds, & Facilities Authority that currently oversees the park, Dandoy said the city is aiming to resolve its debts by July 1. The authority will be dissolved before the management agreement goes into effect.
“(As) part of the agreement, the authority will agree to be dissolved,” Breth said. “So the authority is eventually going to go away and ownership will be in the city with the school district managing.”
Dandoy iterated to the board throughout his update that he believes the management agreement will start an exciting new chapter for the park.
“This collaborative effort reflects our shared commitment to preserve and enhance one of the city’s most valued assets,” Dandoy said. “Pullman Park has been an integral part of our community for generations, with a rich baseball history that has produced countless collegiate and professional baseball players.”
He also thanked Pullman Park’s board members, as well as volunteers, patrons and supporters of Pullman Park.
The city will announce information regarding the improvements to the park, future activities and events, and opportunities for public involvement as the partnership with the district progresses.
