But it did come up during general public comment. The public learned from Coach Tony Hammon that negotiations going on behind the scenes are very close to an agreement to only provide a new surface for the field for the 2027 baseball season. Hammon urged the Village to continue negotiating.

Perhaps the real issue is not the design of the facility or construction on the field. Both the Council and School Board say they want the best for the kids playing there.  

ILA: The Village signed a 2024 Interlocal Agreement (ILA) with the School Board to allow the high school baseball team to use the field at Founders Park, long term, with the School Board paying the costs to build and renovate the facility. Remember, it is still taxpayers here that contribute financially to both the Village and the School Board with their property taxes every year.

Use Agreement: As part of the ILA, the Village Manager is given the right to negotiate an annual “Use Agreement” based on the team schedule each year.

License Agreement: What is missing is the “License” part of the agreement yet to be negotiated that spells out more of the details as to design, repairs, maintenance, and replacement costs, insurance and just how the School Board (major source of funding) and Village (property owner) interact on decision-making.  Should have been step 2, after the ILA was signed.  

It may make sense to break the baseball field project into parts - first replacing the field surface so it is safe with behind the scene negotiations apparently close, though “behind the scenes” is always troublesome in a state with strong transparency laws.

The license agreement seems to be the real deadlock. And no matter what, the license agreement must be approved first to assure it is absolutely clear who is responsible for what.

The Council would like to sit in a joint public meeting with the School Board to work out the details.  The School Board refuses.