A Unified Team on Use of Playing Fields

Organizing schedules for 20,000 children eager to play baseball, football, soccer and tennis is a challenge for any city, but it should soon be getting a little easier here.

The city and the Orange Unified School District, which have clashed on such issues in the past, have drafted an agreement regulating the joint use of scarce playing fields available for youth sports.

Orange Unified trustees hashed over the details for two hours Monday before unanimously approving the deal, and the City Council is expected to follow suit at its meeting next Tuesday. If passed, the agreement will go into effect that very night.

Under terms of the agreement, the school district retains the right to decide who gets to play on its 13 fields, but gives the coordinating duties to the city, which officially becomes “the master scheduler.”

Because of the agreement, a $250,000 grant that the city received from the county last month can now be used to remodel, renovate and even add lights to playing fields belonging to the school district.

Before lighting for nighttime events is installed at any of the school fields, meetings will be held with surrounding homeowners and negotiations will be conducted with the district, said Gary Wann, the city’s director of community and library services.

“These are rough times,” said Wann, who is under pressure to fairly apportion practice time to an ever-growing number of youth groups. “The city and the district are sitting in the same pothole. We do not have enough lighted fields, and it behooves us to work together to ensure there are adequate fields and that they are in safe condition.”

Currently, youth groups that use the district’s fields get a use permit and are scheduled through the district. Groups that use fields at the city’s five parks go through City Hall. The agreement means that while district groups still need to get permits, they will be scheduled by the city.

Playing fields at schools outside the city limits will still be scheduled by the district, because the agreement applies only to Orange. High school playing fields and Kelley Stadium are not included in the contract.

“The true beneficiaries are the children,” Wann said. “It would have been great if we could have done this six years ago.”