38° M/CLOUDY, City may bench adult softball
Santa Rosa budget cuts would eliminate sports, recreation programs
Last Modified: Saturday, September 27, 2008 at 12:43 p.m.
Softball has taught many recreational athletes in Santa Rosa to persevere even if down nine runs in the seventh inning -- or if a looming budget crisis threatens to take their leagues away.
"I remember our captain kept saying, 'Don't give up, never give up,' " said Rich Depp, recalling a softball championship almost 30 years ago. "This is a prime example of never giving up until it's over."
The City Council in November will consider a proposal to eliminate all adult and youth athletic programs, a move that would end one of the largest recreational softball programs in Northern California and a staple in Santa Rosa for more than 40 years.
"It's been something we never thought was going to go away," said Lawrence Solomon, whose team is sponsored by Curtin Air Freight.
City softball leagues drew 3,600 players this summer, and 1,500 signed up for fall leagues. The city's proposal also would cancel youth soccer, basketball, T-ball and sports camps, clinics and classes for 700 children. Tennis lessons for 600 youths and 80 adults also would end.
Eliminating the athletic programs would save the city $128,000 a year. It is one of about 85 steps the city is considering to close a $10.5 million budget gap.
"We find ourselves in a totally repugnant situation," said Assistant City Manager Marc Richardson, who oversees the Recreation and Parks Department. "We have to do what we have to do. These are the options that have to be considered by the council."
Players such as Theresa Strickland refuse to lose softball without a fight. She and her fiance have gathered 1,000 signatures on a protest petition and launched a Web site, savesantarosasports.org.
She is urging softball players and the community to attend the City Council meeting Tuesday, when some proposed cuts will be discussed. The council will not be reviewing the sports proposal until its Nov. 18 meeting.
"I hate the thought that it won't be here," she said. "It's a sad thing for the whole community."
Strickland, who coaches a women's team, said the league offers an outlet for stress, keeps people active and stimulates the economy by supporting local restaurants and bars frequented by players after games. "If there is no softball, there is going to be more people staying at home and not involved in the community," she said.
Jonny Berglund looks forward to playing softball every week with his brother and friends. "Honestly, what can you do to get adult men involved without alcohol on a routine basis?" he asked.
Berglund said he supports raising fees as long as it's not a dramatic increase. Fees range from $595 for a coed team to $670 for men's fast-pitch teams.
City officials said they've raised fees in the past to avoid cuts, but this time would require up to a 75 percent increase.
"Our experience is that people won't pay that," said Eric Jorgeson, deputy director of the recreation division. "We begin to price ourselves out of being able to offer a program."
Jorgeson said league fees generate about $150,000, which covers expenses for umpires, scorekeepers, balls, awards and lights, but not enough to pay for the two employees responsible for overseeing the sports program.
Depp said he worked for 35 years to keep the Rollmasters alive so he could see his two sons play alongside him, and now they do.
"We're going through a financial crisis, people are worrying about losing their jobs and not providing for their families," he said.
"You treasure the outlets you have, and one of those for my family is softball."
You can reach Staff Writer Tracie Morales at 521-5274 or tracie.morales@
pressdemocrat.com.
Next Article in
Events Calendar More Events Submit Event
- Sex offender suspected of violent attack on ex-girlfriend
- Cell phone traffic stop leads to $90,000 drug find, arrest
- Free Dr Pepper for everyone in U.S.
- SJRC student reports sex assault
- Warriors deal Harrington to New York for Crawford
- Rohnert Park woman dies in violent crash on Hwy. 116
- Live updates from Petaluma
- 49ers' Singletary looking for a better result
- Why Woodward and Bernstein came to town
- Gunmen rob adult shop in Santa Rosa
- Free Dr Pepper for everyone in U.S.
- Top honor for Wilson Elementary
- Holiday gift: Cheap trips
- Al-Sadr followers rally against U.S.-Iraqi accord
- Looting soldiers kill woman in Congo camp
- Warning on handyman
- Sex offender suspected of violent attack on ex-girlfriend
- $75M OK'd for Doyle Drive makeover
- Gas prices fall below $2
- Cell phone traffic stop leads to $90,000 drug find, arrest
- Al-Sadr followers rally against U.S.-Iraqi accord 23 min ago
- Bowl berth rides on Big Game outcome 55 min ago
- Holiday gift: Cheap trips 1 hr ago
- Hip-hop pot seller convicted 1 hr ago
- Killer's parole clouds holidays for family of Brooktrails woman 1 hr ago
- Top honor for Wilson Elementary 1 hr ago
- Clinton to join Obama's team 1 hr ago
- Episcopal schism deepens in America 2 hrs ago
- Chrysanthemums: The queen of fall flowers 2 hrs ago
- Machine-shop chic new home trend 2 hrs ago
Comments
Only moderator-approved comments are shown on this page. To see all comments, please visit the forum.Post a comment | View all comments on this topic.
September 27, 2008 7:39:31 am
RE: Link
Are they going to bench their city square?
September 27, 2008 8:29:54 am
Save only $128K? How about getting rid of 1 or 2 middle managers and saving these sports for thousands of SR tax paying residents and their kids? What a joke. One less counsel person would just about cover the cost...
September 27, 2008 8:37:45 am
That's the way to keep the gangs off the streets!!! Keep cutting away at things so that kids really have nothing to do. We the people pay for these leagues for our children. Why don't you find something else to cut back. Maybe your salary??
September 27, 2008 9:04:23 am
are you saying people who play sports are criminals ?
September 27, 2008 9:18:52 am
Why am I not surprised!?! Dump millions in a useless downtown "re-unification" and all that goes with it. What reality do these people live in? Get your heads out of your a**es and deal with the real problems in this town. Man, I thought they had already stooped as low as possible. Guess not!
September 27, 2008 9:30:31 am
At a time when obesity in our children is at an all time high, sports are some of the only times these children get exercise. Our schools have cut pe and sports from there curriculum. Now this. Our children are worth more than $128,000! The city is suffering from a serious case of cranium rectal inversion.
September 27, 2008 9:40:13 am
this city is a joke.
Link
This goes to show how poorly managed this city has been as well as the lack of leadership within the council.
With an 8%+ sales tax and many other revenue sources, this piece of garbage city still finds itself withholding from its citizens basic "privelleges" such as street lights, fixing potholes and scooping up dead animals.
I would really like to read the list of pet projects that won't be affected by these reductions. I'm sure the separately funded "REUNIFICATION" aka Traffic Jam Central, of Courthouse Square is unaffected - among other ill advised programs. How much do we spend on police and security of illegal immigration marches. WTF is that? What about other free services for illegal - and most importantly - non tax paying illegal immigrants.
Portly and inflated City workers (and managers) with their portly and inflated salaries that is not justified with their quality of work is another issue.
My advice to everyone who is sick of this poor leadership: Vote Vote Vote Vote these HACKS in City Hall OUT!
These people who do not have the taxpayers interest at heart but rather special interest including environmentalist.
Get rid of Gorin, Jacobi, Bender, Sawyer and Dean. It doesn't matter if a monkey is their running opponent, a monkey would do a better job then these idiots. I'd argue Lee Pierce to be the exception however if you want to do a thorough cleaning, vote him out as well.
Lets clean house Santa Rosa. For years now, we've been led by amatuers to this point. We've been taxed like some of the largest cities in the country with none of the amenities. Time for Change, right now. Please join me in voting these hacks out.
September 27, 2008 10:09:42 am
FINALLY! CUTTING THE SPORTS PROGRAMS!!! YAY!!!
If they'd all go back to supporting music instead of sports, we'd have higher grades in school and more students learning respect, responsibility, accountability for one's own actions, and committments.
September 27, 2008 10:20:06 am
Way to go "City Designed for Leaving!"
Lets' see, waste a ton of money on bovine scat "art work" and the old AT&T building, give raises to people who don't deserve them, and generally waste millions on stuff that isn't needed. But if they feel the constituency won't be too vocal, or the press too bad, cut a program that isn't that expensive, instead of stuff that nobody needs or wants, like "art" and "worthless buildings without millions in renovation." But that is what happens when you have a mismanaged city with only a single liberal point of view that says spend it if it feels good after all it's not my money I'm spending so there is no down side for me politician. I say for it's well past time for the people to vote a whole lot smarter.
Post a comment | View all comments