Blair to charge for youth baseball
Blair residents hoping to get their children on the baseball diamond this summer can expect a fee to do so this year, but the city might be willing to help those who need financial assistance.
The Blair city council approved a recommendation from the parks committee to charge $30 per child for t-ball or rookie ball and $40 per child in third-through-eighth grade. Families with multiple participants will be charged a maximum of $100. After some conversation, the council agreed to find a way to assist those who are unable to come up with the money.
Council member and chair of the parks committee Jill Anderson presented the recommendation to the full council, but fellow alderperson Mike Lisowski questioned if it could eliminate some of the potential participants.
“I wouldn’t have played baseball,” Lisowski said. “My dad wouldn’t have paid $30 for me to play baseball.”
Anderson suggested offering a scholarship to some people, but was concerned about the precedent it may set.
“You put yourself between a rock and a hard place when you do that because all of a sudden nobody can pay,” Anderson said.
Included in the cost is a t-shirt, but the city provides balls and bats. “So you’re paying $30 for a t-shirt,” Lisowski said.
City attorney Mark Radcliffe noted that participants in the Melrose-Mindoro district have to pay $80 to play.
Lisowski said that most people will be able to pay the money, but doesn’t want to limit the participants.
“I just think every kid should get a chance,” Lisowski said.
Anderson agreed. “I don’t want to exclude anybody, that’s not our purpose.”
While the council didn’t have an exact answer on how to provide financial assistance, a motion was made to accept the proposal with the addition of an application process for families who may need financial assistance.
In other action the council approved hiring engineering firm Short Elliott Hendrickson to conduct a study on the roads used by Source Energy Services, as long as SEH doesn’t have a conflict of interest.
At the advice of Radcliffe, the council declined signing an annual road use agreement with Source. Radcliffe said the agreement didn’t protect the city, partly because no work had been done to determine the original condition of the roads. When the road thaws, SEH will conduct studies to give the council a current report on the roads.
Radcliffe questioned if SEH would be able to testify for the city, should it be needed. SEH’s Dave Schofield was on hand and told Radcliffe that the firm had done work for Source, however, he didn’t know if they were still contracted with the mine.
Radcliffe suggested the council would not want to hire SEH to do the work if the firm had a conflict of interest and, therefore, could not testify in court if that were to become necessary.
“We’re paying you as our expert, we need to make sure there is no conflict of interest,” Radcliffe said.
Anderson questioned if the city should ask the mine to pay for part of the cost of conducting a study, Radcliffe responded saying that isn’t something he wanted to discuss in open session.
The council also voted to close a contract with SEH for the dredging of Lake Henry. The design and permitting for the project was completed in 2019, but no work has been done. Schofield said that without a bid date in mind, SEH requested that the contract be closed. The permits for the project can be extended until 2039.
The council approved a resolution setting a $25 fee for closing streets. Numerous businesses in the city have requested streets be closed for events at various times throughout the year.
The council also approved extending the family/medical leave of city police officer Kim Potts to the end of March. City clerk Susan Frederixon said Potts has not yet been cleared to return to work.
Frederixon also told the council that an order to stop construction on a house on 4th Street has been issued. A building permit was issued for the residence, however, the work done has already exceeded what was permitted.
