PERRYSBURG – It’s "play ball" for the city and the Perrysburg Amateur Baseball and Softball
Commission.
At Tuesday night’s council meeting representatives of the PABSC presented the city with the first revenue
sharing check, amounting to $6,152.50, as part of a joint agreement with the city begun last year.
"I’m extremely proud of that," said Public Service Director Jon Eckel Tuesday morning of the
city’s relationship with the organization. "The group that represents PABSC, they’re very
enthusiastic," very community-oriented, love baseball, and understand that they need to work with
the city to further their program.
The two groups entered into a mutual cooperation agreement in 2010 in which the PABSC would maintain the
baseball fields and concession stands at Rivercrest and Municipal Parks.
"They clean the bathrooms, they clean buildings, collect the garbage," which is then picked up
by city trucks, Eckel explained. "They keep the fields clean, they maintain the fields," and
also handle field prep and care. The PABSC also schedules the field use and other scheduling for
tournaments and travel teams.
This agreement frees public service staff for other work in the parks and other areas of the city, Eckel
said. Under the agreement, revenue generated through the use of the fields, as well as advertising and
some concession sales are split with the city. Eckel said the agreement didn’t begin until nearly June
of last year.
He said that, from a manager’s standpoint, the PABSC has "done an incredible job" at
maintaining the baseball facilities at the two parks and has also saved the city money by taking over
duties that would have been formerly done by staff.
There is no stipulation for how the revenue generated for the city under the agreement can be used, and
Eckel provided exampled of projects such as tennis courts, walking trails, and playgrounds that it might
be put towards.
He said that the goal is to make Perrysburg’s parks a destination for people to come and play baseball,
with Sylvania’s Pacesetter Park as a model.
Among other business, council approved a rezoning of the Crossroads Planned Business Park from
residential to planned business park.