A tentative agreement has been reached between the city of Isanti and the Isanti Redbirds town baseball team regarding the lease agreement and operating policy of Sportsman Field.
During the May 3 Isanti City Council meeting, Isanti Mayor George Wimmer explained the city has been working with representatives from the Isanti Redbirds for nearly one year on a lease agreement and operating policy for Sportsman field, home of the Isanti Redbirds.
While a few issues were discussed between the council and Redbirds President Cindy Lind-Livingston, the main issue between the city and Lind-Livingston was the city requesting reimbursement for utility fees incurred for lighting of the field.
Lind-Livingston said the city has paid the utility fees for the lighting of the field for the past 30 years, or as long as the field has been there, and they would like the city to continue to pay this.
Wimmer noted there really hasn’t been a formal agreement between the city and the Redbirds.
“We don’t pay for anyone else’s utility fees,” Wimmer said. “The issue was, if we do it for the Redbirds, then why aren’t we doing it for other groups within the city as well? If we are going to do that for the Redbirds, that will really open up a big liability. And yes, it had been being done for a very long time, but probably never should have been done, but it was, so that’s the reason for that.”
Wimmer also mentioned the loan the Redbirds had that the city forgave, noting the loan was before the Redbirds were receiving charitable gambling funds.
Following the discussion, it was decided the Redbirds can continue to use Sportsman Field, with the expectation a final agreement will be approved at the May 17 council meeting.
Lind-Livingston touched on the dollars the Redbirds have given to city for upkeep on the field.
“Last year the Redbirds contributed $22,000 to the city for maintenance on the field, and prior to that, the previous five years, it was probably $100,000,” Lind-Livingston said. “So when you talk about forgiving the loan, I think we have repaid that.”
Wimmer said, regarding the baseball field, it being up to the Redbirds’ standard is not a city requirement. He said the main issue is all organizations need to be treated the same.
“We have so many great groups in the city, so many nonprofits in the city, so many churches. They all do great, wonderful things, but we have to treat them all the same,” Wimmer said. “If we start picking up the bill for one group, then it’s incumbent upon us to pick it up for everyone else.”
Wimmer noted the lighting bills from March through September 2015 totalled $447.
“To our organization, it’s a show of faith that the city believes what we are doing is important and somehow is supporting our group,” Lind-Livingston said. “It’s a show of faith that we’re willing to contribute a little bit to the organizations that are in our community and support them a little. I’m not asking for a ton of money.”
Wimmer explained at one point in time, the city was giving $20,000 to different organizations within the city. He explained eventually that number was cut in half, and then eventually ended.
Wimmer said if the city paid the approximate $500 to $600 per year for the lighting costs of the field, they would have to give all similar organizations the same type of funding.
“Every one of these groups does great things,” Wimmer said. “And that’s where we’re trying to get all the language and everyone treated exactly the same. We are trying to make everyone equal so one is not treated better than anybody else.”
Lind-Livingston said the Redbirds don’t have the large number of participants the soccer organization and the BMX organization have.
“We don’t have that large participant base. We have 20 players that have to come up with cost for everything,” Lind-Livingston said. “If something changes with gambling and we don’t have that money, our future, for our organization, $600 is going to be a lot of money.”
Wimmer said for the past eight years, the city has gone to the mode of “everyone paying their way” and said all organizations within the city are doing great things.
“We don’t pay anyone’s bill the way the city has been paying the Redbirds’ bill,” Wimmer said. “It’s all about treating everyone the same.”
Steve Allen, manager of the Redbirds, said it has been a frustrating process.
“The most frustrating part of this lease agreement discussion is the perceived, or real, feeling of lack of respect and appreciation for the number of hours we have sat on that lawn mower and how much work we have invested in that field,” Allen said. “You have one of the most beautiful fields in the state and you continue to get people who say that. City teams try to come up here to play games because of that.”
Allen said the Redbirds were revived in 2001, 533 games ago. Allen said his concerns aren’t with this year, but with the future of Redbirds baseball.
“I’m proud of what we accomplished,” Allen said. “Whenever I’ve traveled around the state, I’ll let them know about this great partnership we’ve had with the lights and the electricity. And that’s why we take care of that field and it’s in immaculate condition. … What you have here is special. I ask you to not lose that partnership.”
Wimmer said the city has agreements with all the different organizations, and they are needed. Wimmer reiterated the city just owns the land; the Redbirds organization controls virtually everything else with the field.
Council members encouraged the Redbirds to get creative with their fundraising to help raise the $600 needed for lighting.
“The Redbirds are fantastic, and you were state champions,” Wimmer said. “There has been a lot of great things the Redbirds have done. I can’t imagine outhouse races without the Redbirds winning, and I used to have teams in there that you would beat all the time. You are part of the fabric of the community and we get that. That’s why we would all try to support whatever we can to get this taken care of; we just can’t do that with taxpayer money because it has broader ramifications.”