Buoyed by the potential for $225,000 in private donations, city officials are considering a proposal to add four baseball diamonds at Fancyburg Park.
Bear Cub Baseball, a Little League organization based in Upper Arlington, and a foundation which city officials said wants to remain anonymous have offered to pay half the estimated $450,000 needed to build the four new baseball fields.
The proposal still requires approvals from the Upper Arlington Board of Zoning Appeals and Upper Arlington City Council. It is expected to be reviewed by the city’s parks and recreation advisory board during a public meeting May 27.
Additionally, the city may hire a professional consultant to provide greater detail about how the addition of four baseball fields could be achieved, and if other features at the park — including parking facilities, drainage and current walking paths — might be affected.
“(Bear Cub Baseball) had a vision for park improvements at Fancyburg and they were prepared to bring money to the table,” Upper Arlington City Manager Ted Staton said during a May 4 council conference session.
Staton said preliminary discussions have called for a “wagon wheel” configuration of four new fields added to two existing fields at Fancyburg.
“This allows much of the Little League baseball activity to be concentrated,” he said.
Bear Cub Baseball would provide $75,000 for the additions, Staton said, and the anonymous foundation would contribute $150,000 to the project.
The city’s share for the improvements currently is estimated at $225,000.
According to its website, Bear Cub Baseball has a total of six divisions for children ages 4 to 12.
Council Vice President Debbie Johnson said 873 youths are participating in the league this year.
If the proposal is approved, Staton said his office and the Upper Arlington Parks and Recreation Department would recommend converting two current baseball fields at Northwest Park into fields for other sports, such as lacrosse or soccer.
City Parks and Recreation Department Director Todd Younkin said a renovated Fancyburg would help Bear Cub Baseball maintain its spring seasons while baseball fields at Northam Park are unavailable due to redevelopment work there.
Northam’s redevelopment is now being planned. The city expects to invest approximately $10 million in that project, while the Upper Arlington Community Foundation plans to raise as much as another $7 million for the improvements.
“One of the benefits (of the Fancyburg proposal) is taking the pressure off Northam Park during the two years it’s out of commission,” Younkin said.
Councilman Mike Schadek called the Fancyburg proposal a “great idea conceptually,” but said more parking would have to added to the park or the project could have negative impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.
Johnson also asked for more review of parking and potential drainage issues that could arise if the park is redeveloped, and Councilman Erik Yassenoff said the city would need to be careful not to affect other youth sports programs by making Fancyburg a more baseball-focused park.
“This is a major park for (the Northwest Kiwanis Club) in terms of the soccer program,” Yassenoff said.
Staton said additional study would take place while the proposal receives public input and review by the parks and rec advisory board and BZAP.
However, the foundation could decide against funding the improvements if the reviews take too long, he said.
“This foundation wants to spend this money quickly,” Staton said.
In other action Monday, council entered executive session at the end of the public portion of its meeting following a motion by Johnson, a second by Yassenoff and a unanimous roll-call vote.
Council President Don Leach said the private session was called to discuss the potential purchase of land and economic development issues protected by provisions in the Ohio Revised Code allowing private discussion of confidential information.
