East Butler responds to baseball association questions
EAST BUTLER — Members of the borough council said they locked the East Butler Baseball Association out of its fields after a few clashes with the association that culminated in the association getting an attorney.
The East Butler Volunteer Fire Department fire hall was filled with people Tuesday evening, Sept. 5; the first meeting Borough Council has had since the field was locked in early August.
Kevin Hesidenz, borough council president, said at the start of the meeting that the council could refuse to answer questions from anyone regarding East Butler Baseball Association, but laid out the borough government’s role in maintaining the baseball fields. He attributed the decision to suspend EBBA from the fields to the association's refusal to sign a contract.
"We asked EBBA for child clearances for all adults working with the kids for two years, and we never received it; also we asked for proof of insurance, and again, we never received it," Hesidenz said.
“We got them a debit card so they could purchase items they needed. The only thing we asked was that they come to council meetings, provide receipts and with bigger items they talk to council to get approval.”
East Butler Baseball Association officials said the entrance to its baseball complex had been padlocked shut by Borough Council the week of Aug. 7, and players and coaches were forbidden to use the facility. Council removed the padlock Aug. 14, but the association was still not permitted to use the facilities.
East Butler owns the land the multiple-baseball field complex sits on. The East Butler Baseball Association, a volunteer organization and certified nonprofit, has maintained the complex for more than 70 years.
A portion of the room Tuesday evening was people clad in their red and blue EBBA uniforms and coaching shirts.
Marie Porter, a member of EBBA, said the association retained an attorney because it was presented with a contract its members did not agree with.
"We were given no choice with these contracts, and we were locked out," Porter said. "If anybody is worried about money or anything like that, please address us.
"We're just trying to get fairly treated."
Copies of EBBA's proposed contract and the borough's proposed contract were available at the meeting.
Brian Farrington, an attorney with Charlton Law, spoke on behalf of EBBA, and said the contracts presented by each group were more similar than different.
“The fact that we spent two hours discussing this item shows me that whether it’s baseball, whether it’s the EBBA, whether it’s the fields out there, this is something that is important to the community,” Farrington said. “The fact that EBBA is willing to do what it was willing to do from day one, and that is negotiate a deal to keep baseball in East Butler.”
Some people at the meeting shared conflicting viewpoints to EBBA, saying that they did not agree with their contract, but they would like to see an agreement made between the borough and the association.
One point of contention people spoke about with the association's contract was the 100-year ownership agreement it proposed.
Juan Gonzalez, president of EBBA, said that length of agreement is used by other extracurricular sports agencies in the area.
Other people at the meeting said they would like borough council to retain control of the field because tax dollars pay for repairs to the fields, and it owns the land the fields are on. Despite the disagreements, many people who spoke still wanted the fields to be open for use by area children.
Councilwoman Tracie Williams said members of council intentionally did not respond to comments about the situation with EBBA so they could speak directly to them at the council meeting.
"I didn’t want our side of the story to get out by one person," Williams said. "I wanted everyone to hear it at one time."
Hesidenz told the people at the meeting that council would not make a decision or agreement with EBBA at the meeting.
Prior to the start of the meeting, borough council had to adopt rules for public comment, including how a speaker had to introduce themselves and how long they were allowed to speak.
