Regional soccer tournaments will continue bringing tourism
dollars to the city of Morgan Hill
’s economy for at least another year, but the city has to spend
$30,000 to make it happen.
Regional soccer tournaments will continue bringing tourism dollars to the city of Morgan Hill’s economy for at least another year, but the city has to spend $30,000 to make it happen.
City council members approved the expenditure to appease the California Youth Soccer Association, which has agreed to lease the city’s fields on Condit Road through December 2006 under certain conditions. Council members voted 5-0 to agree with the CYSA’s terms after a lengthy discussion about whether spending the money was worth it.
The city collects $18,662 from the lease with the CYSA and the group has leased the fields for more than 10 years.
Ultimately, city councilmen decided to spend $30,000 of $980,000 in Redevelopment Agency money earmarked to help build a regional soccer complex north of Sobrato High School. The soccer complex project was derailed earlier this summer when negotiations between the city of San Jose and the San Jose Soccer Complex Foundation failed.
The money will be used to improve the parking lot at the site and drainage on the soccer fields. The CYSA had also requested the city share the expense of reseeding the fields and replace three water cannons. The city denied that request.
Special Assistant to the City Manager Julie Spier told the council that refusing to improve the drainage and parking lot would likely cause the CYSA to abandon the lease altogether.
The city council approved extending the lease of 11 fields with CYSA through June of 2006, with the understanding that after June, if construction of the outdoor sports complex were to begin, fewer fields would be available. She said CYSA stated they would need at least eight soccer fields in order to offer the level of tournament, cup and league plats it supports.
Sunil Patel, owner of Microtel Suites, said he worries about the success of his business with the loss of the CYSA and urged the council to approve the lease.
“The hotels in this area receive a significant piece of revenue because of soccer on Condit Road,” he said. “We’re in partnership, at the end of the day we contribute through 10 percent Transit Occupancy Tax. If we lose soccer, there are no other demand generators to bring people from outside to Morgan Hill. There’ll be no reason for them to come here. A chunk of revenue is generated from guests outside. We need to look at that in the future.”
The Condit fields are busy with tournaments approximately 40 weekends a year.
Patel added, “There are 400 rooms on that road, soccer designates $2.3 to 3.3 million from those hotels. That translates into between $230,000 to $300,000 to your general fund. It’s the smartest investment you could make.”
Councilman Larry Carr was the only member to not immediately support the plan. He said he was concerned with investing money on the parking lot only to tear it up later for the outdoor sports complex. He said he didn’t believe CYSA was putting its fair share into the arrangement and said the city’s original intent was to have Morgan Hill kids use the fields, and not outside groups like the CYSA.
“I hesitate spending the money on improvements that would be torn down eventually. … We need to be in a quicker path to do that. We’re going to waste it if we spend $30,000 here, $2,000 here…, “ said Carr. “I don’t see them putting much into this. They’re basically getting free fields. We invested $7 million in buying the land … Morgan Hill kids weren’t using those fields. That’s why we bought them (the land).”
Mayor Dennis Kennedy agreed, but still supported the lease.
“I have a similar concern,” Kennedy said. “But the parking lot has been a problem for years, and I think CYSA does bring in sufficient revenue and vehicles to downtown. It’s kind of the bottom line for me. In some ways it’s similar to the skateboard park we need to fix.”
Kennedy said the CYSA suffered a loss of $40,000 a year to maintain the fields.
“If they’re investing in those fields, it’s for their private use,” Carr said. “They’re getting benefits already. It’s not for the public good.”
Rose Meily covers City Hall for the Morgan Hill Times. Reach her at 408-779-4106 ext. 201 or by e-mail at rm****@mo*************.com.
