RIVERSIDE RUGBY AT ANDULKA PARK - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

From: To: Date: Subject: <A2ZBULA@aol.com> <city_clerk@ci.riverside.ca.us> 5/26/03 7:17:17 PM re a Home for Riverside Rugby at Andulka Park Attn: Kristi Smith, Deputy City Attorney Riverside City Council. Copy: Mayor of Riverside, Mr. Ron Loveridge City Manager, Mr. George Caravalho Director of Park and Recreation, Terry Nielsen City Clerk From: Arthur Jennings, Director of Development, Riverside Rugby. Date: May 25, 2003 MAT 2 7 2003 OFFICE OF THE Cl'l'Y CLERK Copies to: ~Mayor ~ity Council ~z'~ity Manager ~fCity Attorney f,~Dep. City Attorney Kristi Smith ~'P~r~ ~ t~ecreation Directo: Dear Kristi: Thank you for faxing me a copy of your response to the Operating Engineers Training Trust and the HOLD HARMLESS agreement with your changes re their very generous offer to carry out over a million dollars worth of grading works FREE of cost to the City, for the youth of Riverside via Riverside Rugby and the Park and Recreation Department. After reading it, I new immediately that you had killed the Goose that laid the Golden Egg and that was before I had spoken to Larry Hopkins. It would be rude of me to repeat Larry's description of his boss's reaction which accounts for their "non-response" to date. The good news is that they are still prepared to help the YOUTH of Riverside, FREE OF COST, via Riverside Rugby be it at Andulka Park, Tequesquite Park, County or private land, so we haven't lost our GOOSE, we just got to find a way to accommodate their HOLD HARMLESS agreement as other Cities have done. The guys at Parks and Rec and now you, have made it very clear that the City has no money to meet its obligations to provide playing fields for the Youth of Riverside. I would like to refer you to a recent report in the local paper where the City is setting aside money in its next budget for the development of training fields,namelyTequesquite Park. Tequesquite, by the way, was our second choice, first was HUNTERS Park where we find the City is prepared to spend millions of dollars for use by minority sports. Tequesquite, we were told, was a no no. Councilman Beatty was adamant on this when asked what other City Parkland was available, Terry Nielsen suggested we look at Andulka Park, which we did and have followed through with a 5-Year Development Proposal to Parks and Rec. Since reading the budget report mentioned above, I have tried to get an appointment with the City Manager to suggest that maybe the City would consider using those funds to develop Andulka Park which has a grading plan and other approvals in place. Tequesquite, as I understand it, does not. Andulka Park would provide 7 full size playing fields which can also double as 14 mini fields for RUGBY and soccer, plus 2 baseball fields, in the shortest possible time with the help of the Operating Engineers Training Trust via Riverside Rugby.