Another DUHA for Grand Terrace

Paww...
The article below demonstrates that either the City Council and City Management doesn't care or is just unable to ask intellegent questions. Such as, an agreement to Share the Play Fields as part of the sales agreement should have been more specific as to what Share Means Prior to the sale.

The Little League not haveing a place to play was part of the deal. Duha... or didn't they ask the intellegent question, what are you building and when and how can the community Share in the use of those assets?

Well, it is clear that the fields at the Elementary Schools are used and the restroom facilities and snack bar is not available. for use at the Rollens Park. Fields need to rest between sports.

This is yet another fine mess created by putting a high school in an industrial zone and selling a park to help sweeten the deal. With the security concerns at a high school campus and the after school sports there will be no or extreamly limited use of the "Park" land that is supposed to be "Shared"... do not be fooled... soon you will see a fence and no entry posted on this land, simular to the prison compound like facility at Colton High School, and even Terrace View.

This Park Land deal was to offset the land that was and is a Brown Field where the old plating plant was located at Michigan and Main, where soil samples may not be safe for a school.


Grand Terrace Little League loses fields
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/17/2009 07:05:03 AM PDT

GRAND TERRACE - The city is working to help Grand Terrace Little League build its field of dreams.
League officials are scrambling for places to play because the Colton Joint Unified School District is taking two of their three fields at Pico Park to build a new high school.
The fields are on a L-shaped parcel that the city sold to the district in 2006 for the high school.
The 67-acre campus, called Grand Terrace High School at the Ray Abril Jr. Educational Complex, is slated to open in fall 2011 at the corner of Pico and Taylor streets.
District officials told the league they need to start moving dirt next week in preparation for construction of the school.
"They are fencing us off on Tuesday," said Russ Sulzmann, the league's softball representative. "We knew we were going to lose the fields, but we didn't know we would lose them halfway through our season."
The league's season ends in mid-June, he said.
Jaime Ayala, the district's assistant superintendent for business services, said the district let the league hang on to the fields as long as possible.
"It's an unfortunate situation," Ayala said. "I can imagine how those poor kids feel. But construction has to happen like clockwork or we're going to lose our two-year building schedule." The league, which serves about 350 boys and girls ages 6 and 14, moved some of its games to Loma Linda because of the field situation.
The older boys division is also traveling to Rialto, Colton and other cities for games.
City officials are working with the league to find a solution.
The city owns adjacent vacant property north of the park that it could let the league use on a temporary basis, officials said. The city is hoping to eventually use the land for part of the so-called Grand Crossings retail and residential project.
Acting City Manager Steve Berry said the city has park funds that could be used to help the league put in grass, an irrigation system and backstops on the property.
"We're working diligently with the Little League to help them out on this," Mayor Maryetta Ferre said. "It's a problem that needs to be solved."
The city has a joint-use agreement with the district to share field space once the high school opens.
But Ayala said playing fields for high school baseball have different dimensions than Little League fields.
"If there's anything we can do to assist in that area, we will," Ayala said. "To say the district will provide Little League fields, I don't see that happening."
Sulzmann said he is worried that many parents will drop out of the league next year if there aren't enough fields.
"It will be a sad thing," Sulzmann said. "We don't want to see Grand Terrace Little League go bye-bye."