The ball fields at Liberty Municipal Park will have a new concession stand and press box next season. Liberty City Council on Tuesday, July 12, awarded a $283,800 bid to Sigma Engineers of Beaumont, Texas. The bid includes $258,000 for construction and 10 percent ($25,800) for plans that will be used to build the structure.
Of the three firms that submitted bids for the project, Sigma Engineers was substantially lower than two others: $565,000 from Wylie Construction and $610,565 from LaBiche Architectural Group.
City Manager Tom Warner told Council that the design process for the new concession stand/press box should take 60 days and construction will take another 120 days – roughly six months in total.
The concession stand and press/scorer box will also have restrooms on the back side of the building.
“This is just a shell building,” Warner explained to Council when asked if the building will include kitchen appliances. “This is not a building to cook in. In the past Liberty Youth Baseball Association has provided their own refrigerator, hot plates and other items. It will be wired for that. The press box will be on the upper level.”
Funds for the project come from the City’s Cambridge Fund, which is derived from profits from the Sam Rayburn Municipal Power Agency (SRMPA). SRMPA provides wholesale electrical services to its three member cities – Jasper, Livingston and Liberty.
The Cambridge Fund will also provide funding for a pavement expansion project at the Liberty Municipal Golf Course, which was approved by Council at the same meeting. The City intends to add 250 square yards of base preparation and paving to the course parking lot.
While the City has received some criticism for the use of public money for the golf course, Councilwoman Dianne Driggers argued that the golf course is a worthy investment, much like the city park.
“I have always tried to be very fiscally responsible with tax dollars,” Driggers said. “I think this piece of property is a quality of life issue, like the city park, and I do support it. This piece of property has so much potential to add to the quality of life, the potential for future growth of other activities to bring to the city. I have often heard there is not enough for people to do, and I think this adds to it.”
Driggers pointed out that a significant portion of the costs for the parking lot expansion will be made up by funds the City recoups from the contractor who renovated the golf course. The golf course renovation was supposed to be finished months earlier. As a result of missing the deadline and preventing the golf course from in the spring, the contractor now will have to pay back $1,500 per day for every day the project runs past schedule. Warner estimates that the contractor is expected to reimburse the City at least $45,000.
City Council originally budgeted $96,800 for the paving project but when bids came in, the lowest was $179,862 by American Parking Control of Houston.
As the Cambridge Fund is being used to fund the golf course renovations, the new city park concession stand and other projects, Councilman Tommy Brents was curious about the balance of the City’s Cambridge account, which is roughly $16 million, according to Warner. Brents then asked if it is fair to use taxpayer funds for the golf course renovations and then charge the same taxpayers for using the course.
Brents inquired about the annual operating budgets for the city park and the golf course. Finance Director/Asst. City Manager Naomi Herrington said the city park’s budget is $425,000 and the golf course is $600,000. However, the city park’s revenue is only $12,000 annually whereas the golf course, when it is in operation, is $200,000.
In other business, Council authorized the issuance of certificates of obligation for $9.8 million, which will be used to make improvements on the City’s water and sewer systems; amended a section of the City’s subdivision ordinance related to minimum lot size requirements and setback requirements; and created a policy regarding the length and number of public comments at city meetings.
Regarding the subdivision ordinance, the changes clarify that “1. setbacks apply to accessory structures, 2. accessory structures can only be installed on lots with the same dimension as those for single family detached homes and 3. that manufactured homes can be installed on lots with 5,000 square feet (50 X 100).”
The new policy for public comments gives Council some flexibility while also ensuring that citizens have the ability to address any grievances or concerns.
“Some of the changes made is that anytime someone gets up to speak in public comments, they get three minutes unless they are English as a Second Language; then they get six minutes, and they have to sign up before the meeting,” said City Attorney Brandon Davis. “You can limit the time across the board if you get 50 people who show up to speak. If you want to give someone more time, you have to give everyone more time. We have to treat everybody the same. If there is an agenda item and the presenter is not on city staff, council or a contractor, then they are limited to 15 minutes. If the mayor wants to give them more time, but the Council disagrees, then it’s limited to three minutes.”
Mayor Carl Pickett also announced during the meeting that the City of Liberty is hosting a celebration on Tuesday, July 19, to honor the Lady Panthers Softball Team, who won the State Championships back to back in 2021 and 2022. The celebration will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the City Hall Gazebo. The public is encouraged to come support the team.
“Quality of life” is the catch phrase they always use as an excuse for doing what a few want at the expense of the many. These expenditures are always going to add to the quality of life, bring new businesses, but that never happens. They put money in things (like the golf course) where others have failed to make a go of it, and then spend more than they take in. Fiscally responsible? Not what the numbers show. The city needs to get out of things that are not part of streets, water, sewer, etc., i.e., basic city functions.
This is disgusting. I understand we love our baseball but the playgrounds need attention badly. Also the splash pad pump that is having weekly issues since it was shut down for almost 2 years. Not all parents that take their children to play ball have only those kids. Alot of parents have other children. No one wants to go to a baseball field with a new concession stand when the playground looks like it hasn’t been touched since the splash pad pump was installed. We see where our priorities are. This past baseball season of 2022 only once did i see a line that was kind of long at that concession stand and It was opening day. That should wait a year or two like the splash pad pump and use that money for more playground equipment and maintenance on the old. Our park looks plain and pathetic. The playground does. But yeah it will probably look better with a new concession stand beside it. Sure.