City Approves $2.2 Million Inclusive Baseball Facility The City of Abbotsford, British Columbia, has approved construction to Grant Park that will include the addition of three new baseball fields, according to The Abbotsford News. read more

Wisconsin City Nixes Park Toilets over Budget Woes

Budget cuts in Eau Claire, Wis., will put an end to some important accommodations at area parks.

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Report: Spending on Parks and Trails Pays Dividends

A report released this week by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department suggests that outdoor recreation saves the state more than $1 billion annually, and that more funding is needed to increase the benefits of outdoor recreation.

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Ambitious Parks Proposals Give City Council Pause Roanoke's parks and recreation leader rolled out a list of "big moves" to the Roanoke City Council on Monday that include building new recreation centers and converting one of the city's pools to a family water park over the next 10 years. read more

City, District Eye Athletic Field Improvements Eleven Buffalo (N.Y.) parks and athletic fields, situated in all corners of the city, are being targeted for improvements in hopes of getting better use out of them and advancing the school district's sports program. read more

Hosting Soccer, Football in Baseball Stadiums While stadiums shared by teams that play different sports are nothing new, the sight of a sport being played outside of its natural habitat — a stadium specifically built to host that sport — creates a unique draw for fans, and a unique challenge for facility operators. read more

Fast-Growing Phoenix Plans for More Parks

The city of Phoenix, Ariz., is recognizing the need for more parks to accommodate a rapidly growing population.

As reported by the Mail Tribune, a parks master plan prepared by Community Service Center, part of the University of Oregon, recommends the city consider investing more than $1 million in current parks and acquire another 69 acres. That’s all to serve a population that is expected to grow by nearly 40 percent over the next 20 years.

Planning director, Evan McKenzie, said at a recent city council meeting that the plans involved significant input from the community. “This is a living document. It is a guiding plan and it is not ‘the’ plan. Nothing in it is set in stone. Just because something is in here doesn’t mean it will happen, and because something isn’t in the plan doesn’t mean it won’t,” McKenzie said.

The new parks would primarily serve residents to the north of the city, as nearly all the city’s current parks are located in the southern portion of the city.

The plan includes a community park of up to 20 acres that would be installed north of the current city limits and east of I-5, where more than 400 acres are expected to be annexed for development.

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Diamondbacks Trying to Slither Out of Chase Field Deal

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ dispute with Maricopa County over the state of Chase Field may have reached a tipping point.

According to a report from Yahoo Sports, Leo Beus, the Diamondbacks attorney, told a Superior Court Tuesday that the team may have to move if Maricopa doesn’t pony up the funds to make repairs to Chase Field. Beus said Major League Baseball is very concerned about the situation. “If Major League Baseball decides they want to create issues for us, there might not be baseball at all in Arizona.,” Beus said. “We’d like to keep the franchise in place. We’d like to make peace with Major League Baseball, not that we’re at war.”

The Diamondbacks have been seeking to get out of their lease and find a new home for some time, as Chase Field – home of the 2011 All Star Game – has fallen into disrepair over a dispute about who’s responsible for upkeep on the 22-year-old facility.

In March, the Diamondbacks sued Maricopa County, which owns Chase Field, for $65 million to cover outstanding repairs to the stadium. The Diamondbacks say Chase Field has recently seen broken sanitation pipes and an air-conditioning failure during a power outage.

Maricopa County officials argue that as “the facility manager,” the Diamondbacks are responsible for upkeep of the facility.

Cameron Artigue, an attorney representing Maricopa County, said the Diamondbacks are trying to paint the county as bad landlords. "This (lawsuit) has nothing to do with the water leaks and the merits of Chase Field," Artigue told AZcentral.com. "The Diamondbacks are the facility manager. When a pipe breaks, that is a Diamondbacks problem. And that is, in fact, what happened. They got out the mops and they mopped it up, and life goes on. It's a big facility and sometimes pipes break. So what?"

The judge overseeing the dispute, Karen Mullins, told the Arizona Republic that she’ll make a decision on whether to send the matter to trial or arbitration within the next two weeks. 

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