REPORT IN BRIEF

In accordance with City Council's policy governing "Relationships with Outside Groups,” (Policy 7.2.6) this report reviews a proposed agreement between the City and the Sunnyvale Cricket Club. The Sunnyvale Cricket Club is an independent, non-profit group that provides cricket games and matches for adults in the greater Sunnyvale Community.

The activities offered by the Sunnyvale Cricket Club are consistent with the City of Sunnyvale Recreation Sub-Element but are not offered through the Parks and Recreation Department. The Sunnyvale Cricket Club has expressed a desire to rent Ortega Park multi-purpose sports field at full cost in advance of the regularly accepted time for rentals, on a long-term basis, and continue to use a storage facility located next to the cricket field for storing the Club’s cricket related equipment. The proposed agreement is for five (5) years. Please see Attachment A, Agreement between City of Sunnyvale and Sunnyvale Cricket Club.

Staff recommends that Council approve the Sunnyvale Cricket Club Agreement and authorize the City Manager to enter into said agreement on behalf of the City.

The Parks and Recreation Commission reviewed this report during its regular meeting on December 14, 2005, and unanimously recommend Alternative No.1, to approve the agreement between City of Sunnyvale and the Sunnyvale Cricket Club depicted by Attachment A, and authorize the City Manager to enter into said agreement on behalf of the City.

BACKGROUND

Since November 2003, when City Council approved the Relationships with Outside Groups policy, staff has been taking steps to assure that support provided by the City to outside groups, which is not readily available to the general public, is documented in agreements and approved by City Council in accordance with the new policy. Since the installation of a cricket field was approved by Council in 1992, the Sunnyvale Cricket Club has rented the City’s multipurpose field at Ortega Park at the full cost ($175 per day) and has used various facilities at the site for the on-going storage of the Club’s equipment. The Sunnyvale Cricket Club does not need a special agreement to continue renting the sports field at the full price as this opportunity is available to the general public; however, two privileges provided to the Cricket Club do necessitate an agreement if they are to continue. One is the Club’s ability to make field reservations in advance of the general public; the other is the use of City storage facilities for storage of the Club’s equipment.

Although the practice to provide advanced reservations and use of the storage facility at Ortega Park for the Sunnyvale Cricket Club has been in existence for over ten years, it is not addressed in any formal written agreement with the Sunnyvale Cricket Club. To ensure compliance with the City’s new policy governing relationships with outside groups, the use of the storage facility and advanced reservations for the Cricket Field must either be discontinued or be authorized by Council via a formal agreement.

EXISTING POLICY

Partnering with members of the community to provide recreational services to the Sunnyvale community is supported by the following City policies:

DISCUSSION

The proposed agreement corresponds to the Council action taken in March 1992 (RTC No. 92-104) when the Silicon Valley Cricket Club requested and was approved to cover the cost to install a Cricket pitch at Ortega Park and be allowed to request the use of the site on an annual basis. Since then, the Silicon Valley Cricket Club, now the Sunnyvale Cricket Club has continued to reserve the field in a fashion similar to the Little Leagues – the field is reserved in January for the Sunday afternoons from March through September. In addition, the Cricket Club has the privilege of storing its equipment on the site year around. The proposed agreement with Sunnyvale Cricket Club would provide opportunities for citizens to participate in cricket games and matches and require the Sunnyvale Cricket Club to either pay $600 a year OR volunteer up to 100 hours per year to assist with the maintenance of City parks and recreational facilities, in exchange for the use of a storage facility on the site for the club’s equipment. In addition, the City will provide advanced field reservations for seasonal use of Ortega Park multipurpose field so that the club can plan its playing season in advance.

This agreement would continue for a period of five years and may be terminated upon either party providing the other a 90-day written notice. Staff provides the Sunnyvale Cricket Club Agreement for Council consideration (Attachment A).

Several options to consider instead of the terms of the proposed agreement include requiring the Cricket Club to pay for the use of the storage facility and not allow the option to exchange volunteer hours. This option would save a small amount of staff time but lose the benefit that community participation in the maintenance of various park sites might bring.

Another option is to discontinue the practice of reserving the cricket field in advance and encourage the club to make the reservations as any group without an agreement would need to do. This would require members of the club to make reservations after January of each year, but they could only reserve from one to three months in advance. It is likely that without this benefit, the club would not pursue the agreement at all and risk ‘drop in’ games for practice without a reservation. With this option, the field would still be used, but the club would not be able to participate in organized cricket leagues and plan out its matches with other teams. The Sunnyvale Cricket Club has indicated that the ability to reserve fields in advance is the most critical benefit to them, since this allows the Club to plan matches with other Cricket Teams in the area.

It should also be noted that the Cricket Club currently reserves the playfield on Sundays from April – September excluding the month of July when it is already reserved by the Sunnyvale Cupertino Pony Baseball league.

Other Considerations

An important consideration is the concern brought forth from several residents in the Ortega Park neighborhood over the past few years that cricket games monopolize the playfield on Sundays during the summer months. This agreement would continue the Council action that allows the club to reserve the field in advance for Sunday afternoons and adds approval to store its equipment on the site; however, the concerns from a portion of the neighborhood would not likely go away as long as Ortega Park has a playfield designed to accommodate cricket games. It should be noted that there are other members of the neighborhood who support the Cricket Club’s use of the playfield, and that Ortega Park, in combination with the adjacent Stocklmeir School playfield, provides over 21 acres of open space as the second largest neighborhood park in the City. This is an issue that has been brought before Council in the past and to date there has been no direction from Council to change the use of the multipurpose fields at Ortega Park. The multipurpose fields do serve other sports as well as cricket, including pony baseball each Sunday during the month of July. A previous information only report on the neighborhood’s concerns was presented to Council on July 13, 2004. (Please see Attachment B, RTC No. 04-231, Information Only – Cricket Play at Ortega Park).

FISCAL IMPACT

The Sunnyvale Cricket Club will continue to pay all published rental fees to use the Ortega Park multipurpose field and the proposed agreement does not change this. Current fees are $175 per day which applies to all practices and games, and it is not a discounted rate. The Sunnyvale Cricket Club typically reserves the field from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. each Sunday except during the month of July when the Sunnyvale Cupertino Pony Baseball Club has a prior reservation. Revenue to the Community Recreation Fund from the Cricket Club to reserve the field was $4,725 in 2005; however, this is not new revenue since the club been reserving the field and paying the published rate for several years.

The current Facility Rental Schedule is:

FACILITY	Peak Hours: Friday 6:00 p.m. - Sunday midnight		Off-Peak Hours: Monday - Friday 6:00 p.m.
	Basic Rate Non-Resident	Discounted Rate* Sunnyvale Resident & Sunnyvale Non-Profit Groups	Basic Rate Non-Resident	Discounted Rate* Sunnyvale Resident & Sunnyvale Non-Profit Groups
NOTE: Figures are cost per hour with a two-hour minimum unless otherwise noted. Additional charges for support services may apply.
Athletic Fields	Field without lights: $40/hour or  $280/day Field with lights: $75/hour	Field without lights: $25/hour or $175/day Field with lights: $60/hour	Field without lights: $40/hour or  $280/day Field with lights: $75/hour	Field without lights: $25/hour or $175/day Field with lights: $60/hour

These fees will be reviewed annually and revised if warranted.

Should the Cricket Club choose to pay cash for the use of the storage facility rather than donate services via volunteer work, the $600 fee for use of the storage space will be new revenue to the Community Recreation Fund.

PUBLIC CONTACT

Public contact was made through posting of the Parks and Recreation Commission and Council agenda on the City’s official notice bulletin board, posting of the agenda and report on the City’s web page, and the availability of the report in the City Clerk’s office, Library, Parks and Recreation Administration office, Corporation Yard, Community Center and Senior Center.

Notice of Commission and City Council meetings regarding this report was also distributed to the “Friends of the Parks and Recreation” mailing list (a list of organizations and individuals who have expressed an interest in parks and recreation issues, including residents Chuck and Floryse Clark who have appeared before Council regarding cricket play at Ortega Park).

On December 14, 2005 the Parks and Recreation Commission provided a public hearing of this report during its regularly scheduled meeting.

Copies of this report have been provided to Siva Kolappa, President, Sunnyvale Cricket Club.

ALTERNATIVES

1. Approve the agreement between City of Sunnyvale and Sunnyvale Cricket Club depicted by Attachment A, and authorize the City Manager to enter into said agreement allowing the Sunnyvale Cricket Club to make advance sport field reservations at Ortega Park for cricket play, as well as the opportunity to use City storage facilities for the club’s cricket equipment under the specific circumstances described in the agreement.

2. Approve an agreement allowing advanced reservations, but eliminate the provision allowing volunteer hours in lieu of cash payment for the on-site storage.

3. Do not approve the agreement between City of Sunnyvale and Sunnyvale Cricket Club depicted by Attachment A.

4. Other action as determined by Council.

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends Alternative No. 1, Approve the agreement between City of Sunnyvale and Sunnyvale Cricket Club depicted by Attachment A and authorize the City Manager to enter into said agreement.

This alternative will continue the practice that was originally approved by City Council in March of 1992 allowing the Sunnyvale Cricket Club to make advanced reservations for the use of the Cricket Field at Ortega Park, and formalizes the current practice allowing the Club to store their equipment on the site.

The Park and Recreation Commission reviewed this report on December 14 2005, and unanimously recommend approval of the agreement between City of Sunnyvale and Sunnyvale Cricket Club depicted by Attachment A, and authorize the City Manager to enter into said agreement allowing the Sunnyvale Cricket Club to make advance sport field reservations at Ortega Park for cricket play, as well as the opportunity to use City storage facilities for the club’s cricket equipment under the specific circumstances described in the agreement.

Reviewed by:

David A. Lewis, Director of Parks and Recreation
Prepared by: Cathy E. Merrill, Assistant to the Director

Approved by:
Amy Chan
City Manager

Attachments

A. Agreement between City of Sunnyvale and Sunnyvale Cricket Club for Advance Field Reservations and Use of Storage Facility at Ortega Park

B. RTC No. 04-231, dated July 13, 2004, Information Only - Cricket Play at Ortega Park