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Recreation Commission Minutes February 2, 2004 at the same time. Ms. Catlett noted that it will be crucial for Mr. Friedel and his crew to work with the forester in preparing the fields. There is also a local businessman, Brian Zergott, who will be able to assist Mr. Friedel in the field prep. Mr. Jesse said that the City has an existing management/tenant relationship with NOSO. As far as the City being the owner of the fields and the City has various users of the fields, i.e., the softball organization and NOSO, they have to be the responsible parties for the fields. Mr. Jesse is also concerned about timing; when it's time to do the work it must be done. According to plan, the field prep will take a week. Mr. Jesse is concerned about the scope of the work and the timelines. This is a park that has a soccer emphasis and there are other parks that have other emphases, be it softball or baseball, so as long as it can be scheduled accordingly, it can work out rather well. From a Council point of view, one of the key issues is: what is it going to cost the City? What is the cost of installing the line, including the water fountains, and bleeding the lines for the winter, which usually is not a major expense. What kind of a range of ages do we have for the use of the fields? Are we talking Ohio, greater Cleveland, what? The answer: boys ages 13-18, most from Northeastern Ohio, some from California (about 25) and about 12 from North Carolina. Last year there were four kids from abroad. All will be housed together at the Radisson. Their parents will not be here. Medical history and medical releases will be available. There will be a kit manager who will wash their dirty clothes at a local laundry facility. The former CIA person will be here. There will be a secured environment for the players. The parents sign a form that if the players misbehave in any way they are sent home at the parents' expense. All of the coaches and all of the staff have background checks. It was asked to what extent the fields would be reconditioned. Those questions would be answered by the groundskeeper. It was noted that when NOSO met with the field men, some cores were suggested be cut and sent for analysis to Ohio State. The "must have" on the wish list as a top priority would be parking. If NOSO could raise the number of teams coming to the tournaments by 10 overnights, that would mean more money into the local economy. Was it anticipated that the fields would be in better shape after the camp than before? Yes. Right now it's a catastrophe. The fields will be in top shape after the camp. There is a direct benefit to the Recreation Department by improved quality of fields at Barton/Bradley. Mr. Jesse asked if there were any more questions. Mr. DiSalvo said that he keeps hearing about the $800,000 that the NOSO Cup brings in for the local economy. How much does the Rec Department benefit from that money? The City benefits directly from hotel/motel; whether or not it affects the Rec Department is a big question. Quite frankly, it's what the members of Council decide to put in the Rec Department's budget. Mr. DiSalvo said that a way to offset the Rec's expenses would be through the entry fee. Mr. O'Grady responded that this would be a good idea. Page 4