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NICK COLLINS"We play on a real diamond ... You ain't good enough to lick the dirt off our cleats."
- One player to another in The Sandlot
TARPON SPRINGS - That insult may have been appropriate to hurl at the ragtag bunch from the Disney baseball movie The Sandlot, but Tarpon Springs officials hope it never will apply to children in their town.
A referendum on the Nov. 2 ballot asks Tarpon Springs residents for permission to purchase property off Meres Boulevard for a T-ball field. City commissioners voted unanimously Aug. 17 to add the item to the general election ballot.
The city's youth baseball and softball programs already have too many players for too few fields, said John Cruz, public services director for Tarpon Springs. And with a growing population, the problem is only getting worse.
"They need the facilities so they can avoid refusing kids," Cruz said.
So voters will decide whether the city can buy 0.9 acres at 703 Meres Blvd. for no more than $53,500, which city officials say is less than the property's appraised value of $105,000.
The land is owned by an inactive local chapter of the Jaycees, a civic group that in the past put on a local fireworks show and held benefits for city schools. The chapter is selling at half the price because its members feel like they've had a "50-50 partnership" with the city, said Paul Wikle, the group's trustee.
"We've helped them (city officials), and they've helped us," Wikle said, "so we felt the city ought to receive half the benefit."
The Jaycees will take the sale's proceeds and contribute to either the national Jaycees or a North Pinellas County chapter that may be forming, Wikle said.
The city sold the property to the Jaycees in 1963 for $10. The Jaycees' reduced selling price today represents a "very reasonable and generous recognition of the fact they got it at no cost," City Attorney John Hubbard said.
The property is adjacent to other ball fields and also the municipal golf course. Its location near other city properties means maintenance of the field can be done at reduced costs, Cruz said.
The addition of a standard T-ball facility will free up room on the city's fields with 60-foot base paths, where Little League and softball can be played.
"If we don't give these kids something constructive to do, they could become juvenile problems," Cruz said. "The cost for dealing with delinquents is a lot more than a ball field."
City officials are working on grant applications to help cover the costs of purchasing the land, City Commissioner Peter Nehr said.
The referendum is being held because the city's charter requires that residents directly approve any purchases of land or buildings using public funds. But if an amendment to the city's charter passes in March, commissioners would no longer need to hold a referendum to buy real estate costing less than $250,000.
- Nick Collins can be reached at ncollins@sptimes.com or 727 771-4307.