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Minutes 03-27-78MINUTES OF SPECIAL CI~f CO~CIL MEETING OF TPLE CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ~LD IN CITY MALL, MOh~DAY, MARCH 27, 1978 PRESENT Emily M. Jack, on, Mayor Edward F. Marmening, ~ice Mayor Richard D. Caldwell, Councilman Joseph DeMarco, Councilman David Roberts, Councilman (Arrived 5:15) Frank Kohl, Cit~ Manager Tereesa Padgett, City Clerk Gene Moore, City Attorney M~jor Jackson called the meeting to order at 5:05 P. M. and announced it was a Special Meeting in accordance with Section 56 of the City Charter. She referred to ~. Kohl having an emergency item to add to the agenda and Mr. Kohl requested the item of mSater Usage" to be added. 55 Acres Mmyor Jackson first referred to an article in the Sun Sentinel referring to the City entering into an agreement to bring the Montreal Expos to Boynton Beach for spring training and having approved a proposed sports complex to be built on South Congress ~venue and announced that this was pure speculation as we have not entered into any verbal agreement. M~. Kohl, as City Mmna- ger, has looked into ways of improving the City and will give a report now. Mm. Kohl read correspondence from the Assistant County Attorney regarding the conveyance of the 55 acre tract to the City. He added that the City Attorney had examined the agreement and approved it as to form. M~. DeMarco moved to accept these 55 acres from the County and have the proper officials sign whatever papers are neces- sary, seconded by ~. Harmening. Motion carried 4-0. Mayor Jackson added that she was sure when i~. Roberts arrives, he will include his aye. Mayor Jackson referred to not having the deed yet and asked how long it would take to get it and M~. Kohl replied that it would probably t~ke a week or two and when this agreement is sig~ed, the deed will be drawn up. Mayor JacF~on clari- fied that we could proceed with plans and ~. Kohl agreed. Plans for 55 Acres M~. Kohl stated that with the agreement from Palm reach County for the 55 acre tract of land, it appears that after years of waiting and working, we may be near our goal of a recreational facility here in Boynton Beach. Over three years ago, we drew up a site plan for a recreational facility on the 55 acre site. ~ith todays prices, just to complete this facility would run close to three-quarters of a million dollars. So nothing has happened over the past three ye~s to obtain this 55 acre recreational site until now. MINUTES - SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING BOYNTON BEn, CH, FLORIDA ~L~CH 27, 1 978 M~. Kohl continued that on February 23, 1978, he advised his ~ayor and Council that he had spoken with Commissioner Bill Medlen and he had stated that he felt that the subject of the 55 acres would be brought up before the Board of County Com- missioners mt their meeting of March 7, t978. On ~ch 8th, he again wrote a memorandum to Mayor and Council telling that he had spoken with Co~m~ssioner Bill Medlen and that the Board of County Commissioners had approved deeding this parcel of land over to the City of Boynton Beach. He also advised that it would take a little over a week to finalize the paperwork. A week later he received the agreement, ~hich he sent to each member of Council and this Special Meeting was set up. M~. Kohl advised that approximately two months ago, a gentle- man approached him and asked if BoyntonBeach would be inter- ested in having the Montreal Expos become a part of Boynton Beach as a winter training facility and possible location for Florida State League games. Naturally, he was overwhelmed and excited to think that Boynton Beach would even be consid- ered to be associated with one of the Major League baseball teams. Many tim~ he has heard the ~4ayor and Council, and citizens all over this City state that Boynton Beach did not have anything to tie themselves to. Something that the children and adults who reside in this area could point to with pride. Then it came a few weeks later that he met with Mr. John McHale, ~resident of the Montreal Expos and M~. Hugh Hallward, a member of the Bo~d of Directors, and they both expressed their enthusiasm for the City of Boynton Beach. At this meeting they toured the entire City and he tried to show them all the wonderful things we were trying to de here. Both Mr. McHale and M~. Hallward were impressed at what they saw and said so. M~. Kohl then reiterated the statements in his attached memo- randum to the Council dated ~arch 20, 1978. He stated that there has never been a meeting between himself and two or more members of Council. Each time he has seen or talked with any of the members of Council on the telephone, he would tell the~ of the possibility of what could happen in Boynton Beach. Now, he has the facts and the Mayor has called a Special Meet- ing to set guidelines. ~. Kohl then read the attached letter he wrote to Senator Russell Long ~n March 23. He advised that on that same day, Thursday, March 23rd, at 4:30 P. M., h~. Pete Gordon called him an~ asked if he had done anything more with this project. He advised that he had writte~ this letter to Senator Long and was also sending a copy of the letter to Senator Lawton Chiles, Senator Richard Stone, and Representative Paul Rogers. Then at 5:00 P. M,, he left his office. At 7:00 P. M. that evening, he received a phone call at his home from Craig Barns, Sports Writer for the Sun Sentinel. He was informed -2- M_~JTES SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MARCH 27, t 978 he had gone over the letter to Senator Long with Pete Gordon and had noticed the mention of the Olympic Committee. He fur- ther stated that ~. Bob Kane, President of the U. S. Olympic Committee would no doubt like to speak with me. Mir. Barnes stated that he had called Me. Kane, who is presently staying in Eighland Beach, and had discussed my letter with him. He then suggestedtthat I call ~. Kane. I i~ediately called Mr. Bob Kane and he requested that I meet with him at his place at 10:00 A. M. the following d~v. At promptly 10:00 the next day, I was at his residence with a copy of my letter to Sena- tor Long. He was delighted to discuss the possibility of an Olympic Training Center in Boynton Beach and was interested in our recreation plans. I was invited to attend the U. S. Olympic Planning Meeting to be held in April of this year in Orlando, Florida, and instructed to bring my plans with me. ~. Kohl stated that now it is up to the Mayor and Council to decide whether we should spend three-quarters of a F~l- lion dollars on the recreation facility that we had previ- ously planned, or to spend twice this amount and have all the facilities he has outlined and possibly an Olympic Train- ing Center as well. We would be building a landmark for the City of Boynton Beach. M~. Kohl added that he feels grateful for the wonderful arti- cles in the Palm Beach Post, Palm Beach Times and especially the editorial in the Sun-Sentinel, which, he then read from the March 27 issue. Mr. Kohl advised that at 1:30 P. M. today, March 27, 1978, he was on the phone with ~. John McHale and told him he had to have his statement for the record an5 he stated that if the Council would provide the 2,500 seat stadium with pro- fessional field, clubhouse facilities and the three practice fields that they are prepared to sign a contract simile~ to other contracts in the area such as West Palm Beach, Pompano Beach, etc. The details of this contract would have to be worked out at a later date. ~. Kohl stated that all he needs from his Mayor and Council is to tell him to look into the financing. Where we can get the money from. In other words, all he needs is the go-ahead sign. Because as M~. McHale put it: "If you agree, the Montreal Expos_ will be here next February." So, he doesn't hez~e time to fool around. Mayor Jackson announced that the Council had heard the report from M~. Kohl and opened the subject for discussion. M~. Caldwell stated he thinY~ what M~. Kohl has done and the contacts he has made in ~egards to the development of a dor- mant pieee of land smd what it will bring to the Boynton Beach c~rent residents and future generation will definitely prove to be an economic boom, provide jobs, put the place on -3- MINUTES - SPECL~L CITY COUNCIL ~ETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ~RCH 27, 1978 map, and improve the image of this City as every Council mem- ber has been working for so long. He thin_ks it is a good thing and thinks we should back the City MAnager on this and com~t the City as much as possibl&. ~. Harmening stated that it is a very nice proposition~ but the thing which cone~rns him is the $1~500,O00 and he w!ll reserve his Judgement until knowing where the $t,5OO,000 is coming from. Mm. DeMarco stated that he is very pleased with this announce- ment and commended Mm. Kohl for his hard work. He is heartily in favor of it and it will be an asset to Boynton Beach. Mr. Kohl has his 100% cooperation. Mmyor Jackson statedsshe did not think we should move on this, but should instruct the City Manager to explore all avenues open regarding the cost and ways to finance it. Mr. Roberts stated that when this came up, it was to be a baseball stadium~ but since that time there has been mention of olympic training grounds and pool. Mm. Kohl referred uo there having been some hisprints in the press and advised that there would be no pool. M~. Roberts continued that he has no objections for the City Manager to prepare more defi- nite plans because he thinks there are various ways to fi- nance this. He possibly suggested that the baseball team may want to build it and we can give them free rent for ten years and it will not cost the taxpayers anything. Also, he understands that West Palm Beach has revised the fees and this should be considered. Another thing wht~B should be considered is the construction of a large motel such as Howard Johnson's or Holiday Inn so there will be ample space Eo accommodate the visiting players. Right now, we have nice motels, but their accommodations are not large enough. Con- sideration should be given to large banquet facilities also. Also to be considered should be the direction the stadium should be facing. All this should be taken into considera- tion. If the City Mmnager is instructed by the Council to bring back information on all these ramifications and how it will be financed, he has no objections. Mayor Jackson told about a newspaper article referring to recreation facilities brining in motels and added that she heard today that there are plans for a Holiday Inn to be built in back of Kwik Chek. She does not want to jump into this without reports from the City Manager. Mr. Roberts also suggested that a move be initiated to four lane Congress Avenue to provide adequate ingress and egress to these areas including the western section of 15th Avenue to Congress Avenue. Mm. DeMarco informed him that this is M~NUTES - SPECIAL CI~ COUNCIL ~ETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA M~RCH 27, t978 scheduled and Mr. Roberts replied that it has been scheduled, but the developer has been granted additional time. C~mments were Eiven in agreement to request this ~idening to proceed. M~. Caldwell moved to instruct the City Ymnager to compile all the necessary financial data and come back before this Council as quickly as possible, so we can make the proper d~cision as quic'~y as possible in regards to building this 55 acre sports~complex as laid out in M~. Kohl's memo dated MArch 27, seconded by Mm. DeMarco. Under discussion, Mm. Roberts stated he would like to see all the points made known to the Council - what West Palm Beach has done recently, the prospects of getting motels, roads, and also the question of priorities. He added that he understands that perhaps we should get a diamond built. Mm. Kohl replied that the roads have been taken into consideration and if this goes ~nrough, we are going to have to have Congress Avenue four laned. Me. Roberts referred to also mentioning the roads going in and out of the complex and ~. Kohl replied that he was also wbrk- ing on that. ~. Roberts added that there would also need to be a fence around it and Me. Kohl replied that if it all goes, it will have to be done pronto. Mayor Jackson remarked that i~ probably ~La~ld~o~hurt to write to Howard Johnson's and Holiday Inn and Mm. Kohl replied that the people are doing that. M~. DeMarco suggested that a special meeting be called at any time to keep tkis ball rolling because he knows time is of the essence. He added that if we ars going to get it, let's not drag our feet. Mr. Kohl agreed and referred to the Expos being here next February and we must getoon the financing and he must attend the meeting in April and he will pursue this post haste. M~yor Jackson requested that he let her ~ow when he has the figures and she will call a special meeting. ~. Roberts asked if there had been any discussion about the hall club financing it and Me. Kohl replied negatively and added that only the Tankees own their o~ and most cities having aba. ll club say they will not part with it. Mayor Jackson referred vo the concession and M~. Kohl replied that all these things must be worked out and added that some places do not have the concession, some own it, some give a percentage, etc, Mayor Jackson re- quested him to proceed. Motion carried 5-0. Housing Mayor Jackson asked how many houses were available in the north end and referred to the newspaper stating that some were going to be taken for low cost housing$ Mm. Kohl told about ~m. Barry Seaman calling him requesting a meet- ing with our Housing Authority regarding the procurement of these homes through HUD. As soon as they meet, they will !~uow what the Housing Authority is going to do, but the Cou~ucil will also have to approve this. M~yor Jackson clarified that there was no action the Council could take at this time. -5- MINUTES - SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING BOSTON BEACH, FLORIDA 27, 1978 ~. DeMarco asked if it was the plan to purchase these houses and Me. Kohl explained that the County Housing Authority planned to buy the houses with HUD mone~ and will rent them out and t~e cars of them. Water Usage Mr. Kohl referred to the weather conditions affecting the water consumption and advised that he may have to restrict water usage shortly as we are using 10 million gallons every single day. He added that more wells are Being built. ~. De~rco asked when the new plant would be operating and M~. Kohl replied that the present plant does all right, but we need wells to furnish raw water. M~yor Jackson asked if he w~ted action from the Council and ~. Kohl replied nega- tively, but advised that he was telling them so they are aware that water may have to be restricted. ~. DeMarco asked if the new wells were sufficient and M~. Kohl replied that they are if e~ery one J~orks~ but explained how all were not operating fully usually. He added that new wells were included in the bond issue. He clarified that he just wanted them to know the reason if water had to be restricted. Attorney,s Explanation of Legal Ramifications of Changing Make Up of Regional Board Members Mayor Jackson referred to this subject being brought up by Delray Beach at the last Regional Board meeting and advised that it would be on the agenda in April a_nd requested legal input. M~. Moore referred to this being established in the Interlocal Agreement a_ud advised that the Interloeal Agree- ment could be altered, but it would have to be by u3c. animous agreement. ~4~. Moore asked if the discussion was in ~eference to lower- ing the number of members and Mayor Jackson informed h%m that it was suggested to possibly have ~hree from each city or people not in office. Mr. Moore stated that if they were referring to creating mn authority, he thinks that it would involve a special act of the Legislature with creating the Board subject to a referendum in each town and he explained. M~. DeMarco stated he was definitely 100% against changing this Board with eliminating two members from Boynton Beach. It was set up that way and gives us five votes and that is the only way the City can protect itself. ~. Harmening agreed and stated he certainly would not look in favor on it at this time. Further expressions were given in favor of not cha_uging the membership at this time and they also dis- cussed the meeting schedule a~ud attendance. Mayor Jackson then concluded that we all feel the same, but she felt we should have the legal input so we would have the information when it comes up. -6- MINUTES - S~CIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ~&RCH 27, ~ 978 ADc Ob~RNME~T M~. Roberts moved to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Harmening. Motion carried 5-0 and the meeting was properly adjourned at 5:45 P. M. CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ATTEST' Couu. cltman C°uncmlman C ' ouncilman ~ ~City Clerk Recording Secreta~y (One Tape) -7- MEM ORANDU~ March 27, i978 TO: Hon. Mayor & Council. With the agreement frem Palm Beach County for the 55 acre tract of land that we have here at our Special Meeting, it appears that after years of waiting and workinq we may be near our ~oai of a recreational facility here in Boynton Beach. Over three years ago we drew up a site plan for a recreational facility on the 55 acre site. With todays prices, just to complete this facility would run close to three-quarters of a million dollar~s~ So nothing has happened over the past three years to obtain this 55 acre recreational site until now. On February23, 1978~ t advised m2 Mayor and Cou~cii that I ha'd spok~ with Commissioner Bill M~dlen and he ha~ stated that he felt that the subject of the 55 acres would be brought up before-~the Board of County Commissioners at their meeting of Marck 7, 1978. On ~arch 8tk I again wrote a memorandum to Mayor and Council telling you t ?~a~ spokenwith Commissioner Bill Medlen and that the Board of Co~nty Ccaunissioners had approved deeding this parcel of land ovem to the City of Boynton Beach. I also advised that it wouI~ t~ke a little over a week to finalize the paperwork. A week later I received the agreement~ which I sent to each of Council and this Special Meeting was set up. Approximately two months ago a gentleman approac?~ed me an~ asked if Boynton Beach would be interested in having the Montreal Expos become a part of Boynton Beach as a winter training facilit~ ~3adpossit~le location for Florida State League games~ Naturally I was overwhelmed and excited to think that Boynto~ Beach would even be considered to ~e associated~with one of the Major Le~gu~ ~aseball teams. Many times I have heard the bIayor ~nd Council, an~ cztzzens all over this city state that Boynton Beach did not have anything to tie themselves to. Something that the childre~ and adults who reside in this area could point to wit~ pride -2- Then it came a few weeks later that I met with Mr. John l~c2tate, President of the Montreal Expos and Mr. Hugh ~tallward, a mera~er of the Board of Directors, and they both expressed their enthusiasm for the City of Boynton Beach. At this meeting we toured the entire city and I tried to show them all the wonderf%%l things we were trying to do here. Both Mr. McH~le and Mr. Hallward were impressed at what they saw and said so. I wish at this time to reiterate what I stated, in my memorandum to you dated March 20, 1978. (Pick up Exhibit C) At this time I want to state that there has never been a meeting between myself and tWO or more members of Cou/~cil. Each time I have seen or talked with any of the members of Council on the telephone I would tell them of the possibility of what could happen in Boynton Beach° Now I have the facts.and the Mayor has called a Special Meeting to set guidelines. On March 23rd I wrote the following letter. (Pick up Exhibit D) That same day, Thursday, March 23rd at 4:30 p.m. Mr. Pete Gordon called me and asked if I had done anything more with this project. I advised him I had written this letter to Senator Long and that I was also sending & copy 'of the letter to'SenatorLawton Chiles, Senator Richard Stone, and Representative Paul Rogers. Then at 5:00 p.m. I left my office° At 7:00 p.m. that evening I received a phone cai1 at my home from Craig Barns, Sports writer for the Sun-Sentinel. He informe~ me he ~ad gone over the letter to Senator Long with Pete Gordon and ha~ noticed the mention of the Olympic Committee. He further state~ tha.t Mr. Bob Kane, President of the U.So Olympic Committee would no doubt tike to speak with me. Mr. Barnes stated that he had called Mr. Kane, who is presently staying in Highland Beach, and had discussed my letter With him. He then suggested that I call Mr. Kane. I immediately called Mr. Bob Kane and he requested that I meet with him at his place at i0:00 a.m. the following day. At prompti!r t0:00. the next day I was st his residence with a copy of my letter to Senator Long. He was delighted to discuss the possibility of an Olln~pic Training center in Boynton Beach and was interested in our recreation plans. -3- I was invited to attend the U.S. Olympic Planning Meeting to be held in April of this year in Orlando, Florida, and znstr~cted' to bring my plans with me. Now it is up to my Mayor and Council to decide whether ~e should spend three-quarters of a million dollars on the recreation facility that we had previously planned, or to spend twice this amount and have all the facilities I have outlined and p6ssibly an Olympic Training Center as well. We would be building a landmark for the city of Boynton Beach. I feel grateful for the wonderful articles in the PaL~ Be~ch Post, Palm Beach Times and especially the editorial in the Sun-Sentinel which I will now read. (Pick up Exhibit E) At 1:30 p.m. today, March 27, 1978, I' was on the phone with Mr. John McHale, (and I told ~im this had to be for the record) and he stated that if the Council would provide the 2,500 seat stadium with professional field~ clubhouse facilities ar~ the tPn~ee practice fields that they are prepared to sign a contract similar %o other contracts in the area such as West Palm Beach, Pompano Beach, etc. The details of this contraut would have to be worked out at a later date. Ail I need from my Mayor & Council is to tell m~ to look into the financing. Where we can get the money from. In other words ail I need is the go-ahead sign. Because as Mr. McHale put it, "If you agree, the Montreal Expos will be here next February." So I don~t have time to fool around. ./ Frank Kohl City Manager 0¸ O MEMORANDUM February 23, 1978 KO: Honorable Mayor & City Council Members RE: Conversation with commissioner Bill Medlen I talked to Commissioner Medlen today regarding the 55 acres on Congress which we have been trying to procure for a couple of years and he promised, me that he would have this matter brought before the Board of County Commissioners at their next meeting of March 7, 1978. In order to expedite this, Ihad to explain to Commissioner ~edlen why we were interested in this piece of property and what a great thing it could be for the City of Boynton Beach. ~e agreed with me 100% and said it was a terrific opportunity for the City, not only for the facility, but for the association of a well known name to be connected with the City. I will keep you apprised of anything further. FK:pb Frank Kohl -- City Manager Exhibit A M E M 0 R,A N D U M March 8~ 1978 TO: RE: Honorable Mayor & City Council Members Fifty-five Acre Tract on Congress Ave. If you recall, in my memorandum to you dated Pebruary 23, 1978, I advised that I had spoken to Commissioner Bill Medlen regarding the above piece of property. Commissioner Medlenpromised that the matter would be brought before the Board of County Commissioners at their meeting of March 7, 1978. I talked with Commissioner Medlen today and he advised me that the Board of County Commissioners had approved deeding this parcel of land over to the City of Boynton Beach. It will take approximately a week or more to finalize the paper- work. I will keep you apprised. FK:pb CC: Central File City Manager Exhibit B. MEMORANDUM March 20, 1978 TO: RE: Hon. Mayor & Council Montreal Expos It was my privilege, and I feel a great op~ortu_~it~ for the City of Boynton Beach, that I was invited by John Mc~aie, Pres ident of the Montreal Expos to meet this past Saturday afternoon wit~hi~ and four members of the Board of Directors. One of these board members was Mr. Charles Bronfman, who is also the Chairman of the Board of Seagrams'DistilleriesJ Another ~oard member was the Owner of one of the largest steamship lines in Canada. These men are sold on this ball clu~o as a fine baseball team. -They are proud of its league standing, and the number of people who follow- them in Canada and the U.S. I ~ant to point out a few things I picked up in talkin~ wit~ these gentlemen last Saturday and frominquzr~es' ° I made 'this moz-ning. Let me state emphatically that having a 2,50.0 seat stadi~a and a professional ball teem is not a money making business. I have talked to three cities who have ball clubs2 and they all inform me that they~ lo~k upon this as a recreation facility, an entertainment and tourist attraction for the City. The greatest benefit is probably the untol~ thousands of dollars derived each year by the retail stores and other businesses operated within these cities. Ail of you know that we are in the "red" ever!~ year for our beach facilities. We spend thousands of dollars maintaining o~u~beaeh, and in return it can only accommodate a few hundred people each day. Our current budget figure for our recreation center and re, creation d~partment amounts.to ~464,305,.and 9~%.of this money is a wash out wzt5 no correspondzng income bekng received by the City.. One of the most important things that has to be looked mt ~ a project of this nature and size is the benefits of the association of a pro ball team with the city of Boynton Beach. Exhibit C -2- I know that sometimes a few people in BoyntOn, and perhaps evea~ some of the members of Council, may feel that I get carried away with promotions. But I feel a good city manager must be a good promoter for his city. I have tried to always generate good public relations for Boynton in all of the city promotions, such as the Festival of Arts, the Fourth of July Celebration ar~ the Christmas Parade. First I am going to make sure we receive the deed for the 55 acres. I have already been out to the 55 acre Site with engineers looking over possible locations for ingress and egress of roads. I am working on a site plan and the approximate cost of the 2~5OO seat concrete and steel stadium with concession stands and a~ditional rooms underneath which can be used for clubs, etc., and other facilities such as the showers, locker rooms~ the main bal~ field and three practice fields. T~e stadium would be built with the ability to subseq~entllr' increase the seating capacity as time goes by. We will not have lights at 'this time, but later we would need lights for n~ght games for the Citrus League (Florida State League). We would be Bo!rntor~Expos as west Palm Beach is the Braves. I should receive the contract between West Palm Beach and the Atlanta Braves tomorrow or the next day. This contract, according to City Manager Dick Simmons is very close to the contracts held by five o~her cities in Florida which have ball teams. Most cities have ten year contract with $ ball club. At the present time, the Mor~treal Expos do not have a contract at their present location. I.[w.ould contract for having the c ncesszon stands as ~ h~%~ beea~ a~vised by other cities that this is where we car~ make the ~ost ~aonelr. M~st ball clubs pay only 1~/~ of ticket sales to cities. Another consideration is the scoreboards which operate eleetro~icaIly. They are a costly item. I have been advised to contact Gametin%e Scoreboard Company, and that this space can be rented bringing goodly sum to the city each year. I would like to state that one of the greatest things w~ could do for our children is to have the Montreal Expos in this area. ~o John McHale, the President has said that the Montreal Expos would hold baseball clinics with our children so they coul~ learlx frGn big league ball players° -3- We can make this area into a gre~t family recreation center~-ith %ennis courts,, picnic areas, and as I stated before utilizing the rooms under the stadium for arts and crafts, clu~meetings, etc. FK:sr /Frank Kohl City Manager cc: Gene MOore, City Attorney BOYNTON BEACH Office of tke City Manager March 23, 17978 The Honorable Russell Long Senator from Louisiana Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Sir: I am v~ry glad to see the Federal Government helping our U~S. Olympics even more than they have in the past. It is a sad state of affairs when our amateur athletes must ccmpete against athletes of other countries who are subsidized as full time athletes. Although they compete as amateurs, they are pro- fessionals. I think increased legislation to help all amateur sports would be a good thing for our United States as I feel that amateur sports~ and all other sports~ builds character and a ~eeling of pride in the participant. I also feel that having the greatest American athlete that we can possibly develop in our country will build tremendous patriotism and pride in our country. aT speaking from personal experiences as I played all sports in k~gh ~chool and college~ and ~ a former Army amateur t)oxin9 champ ~on. i am writing to you because I am interested in having Boynton Beach involved as a training center for amateur sports to develop young men and wc~en for the Olympic level. If there would be any financial help towards this goal, I would certainly appreciate it, as would our Mayor, City Council and the residents of this .community. Exhibit D Hon. Russell Long March 23, 1978 Page 2. With or without the U.S. Olympic Committee's help or the help of the Federal Government, I plan to go forward wit~ the approval of the City Council as far as tkis city can p~ssi~!y go on its own, toward this dream. At the present time we are' going to develop 55 acres into an athletic complex that will entail the competition for amateur track and field, amateur boxing, and will include a professional baseball field, starting with a 2,500 seat stadium that will expanded as time goes by. I am going to trl~ to procure EDA funds or any other type of funding the Pederal Goverrmze~t might hav~ t~at would help this type of program° There are many reasons for locating an amateur athletic complex in this area. The projected growth of this city and combined area within the next five years is in the hundreds-of-thousands of people. The clLmate is as good as any place irz the ~nd 'the people in this area have the highest enthusiasm for an athletic program. Sincerely, Frank K0hi City Manager FK:sr The Hon. Jimmy Carter, President The Hon. Lawton Chiles, Senator The Hon. Richard Stone, Senator The Hon. Paul Rogers, Representative Mayor & Council Olympic Committee County Commissioners alhle[tc~ wi h authority to ~d ~30r'~ DePa~i~ Wayne ~dto million tq lhe 12 months oogtnfimg., ahd Tom A~der~o~ Ot · Oct, L- ' Green Bay were add~ mRlee to n .amateur be. low Ihe Olympia level .' · the bill egrmarka ~t~ m he $30 mflhon to determine.Iaea. · lions for trainin~ centers and fi- ~a~ 'nance their opera on ~ ' . "b- *~-~ *~ "- ~n" ,':, ~ ' ~ .....e ,e~nagcrs W~o esap~d w me recom nen6auon of ~enate:;.it F hence C~mmittee Cha rman:~ ketball League granted ~Russell Long (D,La.L the panel ~'vo~d to er6cr a 6-month s[udy to'.~ R~pHs "dele~mlne whether there should be~ ton co~ Ma~. 'is cont~nue~ financing of ~h~ centers, ng for a Pac;10 ostsearon · , ~ ,, ,".conL.enee. long dominated ~er, Ihe vetroit Pistons ,ap scor~r.:, UC~A. ' ~;n~ rebounder will undergo surgery~. "~OXI~'h. '- w~ menvt or, bone. m h~s. leR. knee 'and...,,, fi~ht~ the winner or Sa{urda ~lvlsion ~ ~cor ng caam~ton Free-:. nmn Wl~]i~? al Par land Stgt~,.. Raymoad ~ow~scnd O~ uC~A and 'Jell Judkl~s of Utah were. added the West team rot ran alm,o,st fO minutes shut, Id have, a(~cordin~ not islativ~ - authorized attorney. ~,'. general 4? offer a ~t million :'~ ~en~. t6 · v e~:ms and families those lnvolve~ in a 1070 pla~e crash middle.., whleh, killed ~2 p~:sons lnctudlng ~ me,bors of the Wtchlta 'State · .3erstty:team..' .... ~ .'.' ..% · ~, u ~ .~ ~OLP ,-- Tp~ ehampfon'L Jack ~ ~ NleklaaS q6ads the 'PGA ~bnev list. '-' " · ; with $1~7,~5 .to $10~,lSt for ] [ ,T~e~ Washlnotn~', .qP Tom Watsou Al igned tormee:M~a~ ~;~ ', absent from the tour sfnc~ und~rg~[ runnlne b~cff J ~ Kllck. w~o ~ lng surgery to,.remove a ~enig8 layed ouC ~ls opt on :Mt6r loin no .~umor ang aboht slx Inches of bls c~ ~e Redskin ' ~"-qon, will play In the' Ore~ter three .tree ' bore Open,beginning ~zarch 31 .. South Fiends took tim first-rouM' former versify of F~ortda d~., lead In the 72-hole Univers y 'fenslve bae~ Alvin Cowa~s , , 'Miami Sprin~ Four Co eg a~e lnvl- Oreen ~ay Pac~r coach ~ar~ Star~"' lali~n~r by e~gbt strokes over Ohio ~oVonn l-loiels ~f ~-~- ~-~ ,~'~' State ~nd Florida Interne one ~owca ~, a~rtehon oI ~ay Mlnette; !metal t~.aBotner txvo stro~es back, Were na~ed ns florodhJ~, i~, ~ollow~d.' by UNC-Charlotte still, ~ c ,of Auburn. Ale another five siro~.s behind. Dan Bauer.is the tndivtdual leader with a included ~ bole*tn-one. tlOCKEY '-- Toron:~ owner eld'~allar~ sari lhe picture at a the at Leaf, . The i Cditorial A proposal by Boyntou ~ ~ch to bcffld a massive ~orts complex should be £ol- lowed up immediately w~ ~ess or ~e proj~t. . . ~e 16A. I -SENTmEL PubNsl~ed by GORE NEWSPAPERS COMPANY' T. T. ~ e'~mm,t C, C~mp~ll President and PubBshet' General Manager Robert F_ Plaiste*-5 Editor 16A ; ~1onday. Niareb 27,, 19~ F. P. Pe~tljohr~ Sports._._ComPlex Plan Needs. Fast Action The city of Boynton Beach has acbievd,~ a bushtes~ coup which will have far-reaching benefits for the city a~d Florida in general. .. The city'is planning to brdld a $1.S million sports complex on a. 55-acre tract off Congress. Avenue. Funded with federal .and city._rn°ney,.fl?, project ~41i inchide a 2,500~eat stadi- .urn, clubhouse [acilifies,.three practice fields, track, field and boxtug facilities-and picnic, :tennis and playground '-The-: s~orts: C°~nl~lex .will' probably' be ~nsmm~mtal br~nsing the Montreal Expos :baseball, te~' to Boy~ton,)i . interes/-~ *the' possibUi~y of using die site ior eax Olympic: -:: .The~ .two addit/~s tot he S6u/h Floricl~ ~wouId ba~;e ~ a dramatic effect on th~economy o£ th(~ are~' and prq .~Jde ~ viewing Spectacle for.tourists.~and resident~ alike. -: ;' Mu¢~?:oF:the.c~edit for the. proje~ ~us~: ~0 X _': / Manager Fr.an.,k Kohl ?~ho .has been'.working .beh[ud !;,scenes ;to l~,in~ these additions to fntition. It~ ~ho-¢.'~ that : foresiC!t ~hn& agress~,e leadership, can bring su~stanffal.~ · progr~s to a ..co..n~n. multy; This facility could end up as one- of South' Florida's showcase operations with the reactant influx of tourist dollars.and,satisfaction for The ci~ ;ffic/als Should ~ ' p~odeed at full pace. ·' ' "planning'and funding tl~.~' ensure the success o.f the project~'~ The Olympic Committee s interest should b~ develol~X] into a commitment for their, utilizing the complex:. It is lhe typd: of business, that must be appealing to Boynton Peach residents and a develoPme.nt in which the c/ty car~ b~ proud:. Exhibit E By CRAIG BARNES The $1.S million cost o~' the complex is and PETE GORDON expected to be fiuanced with federal and Sun-Sentinel WHters city funds. In :addition to track, ,fi~!d, ..... s(vimming and boxing faoi!itias, there BOYNTON BEACR- The city is plan- ~oald be picnic, tennis and playground ning to build a $1.5 million sl~rts complex:areas. - and has entered into a verbal agreement " that ~vould bring the Montreal Expos here for spring training in I979, the Sun-Sen- tinel has learned. The S$-adre tract also eo~ld h~use an. To satisfy needs ~xpressed by the Ex- , · pos, there.will be a 2,500-seat stadium, ,: clubhduse':facilities and three practice.. Iields .... ~ Olympic training facility before 1980, and -"'.. '. · '" prelhninary discussions on' that subject' A~ 'a c~idi~inn of the sale of the ladd, are expected to begin within a few days, the ctt,j mtlst'subniit a development plan . · ' ;. to the' couhffd' by' 19~ and complete the The Site of the proposed facility, just .., recre~tinn~l ~adlity by off South Co, ngress Avenue adjoining the . South Technical Education Center, will be The. ~ acres had been offered ~O city on~ ~fore, 'in r~turn, th~ ol,'7 would sold to thc city by Palm l?~uch County ~or 'hav~ gi~e~fi..0ones Ridge ]~d Boyntori $1. owned n',x,~ to the Oc.~an R~d~e mru~icipal Mayor Emily Jac~'~e.~ said yesterday' t b~il~ing, ' , ' that a purchase agrcemon~ tot the land . frill be sl~,~ n~xt wee~, "It's a ge~d thi,'~g, w~ didn't give away anything at that time," Mayor J~ckson · said. The: man behind the entire project' is City Manager Frank Kohl. "I have a dream of making file city headquarters for training young men and women for the Olympics, he said yester- day, "It's a sad state of affairs when our amateurs must compete agatns~ those from other countries who are really sup- ported in a professional mannpr by their Bob Kane. president of the U,$. Olym- pic Committee, was im'om~ed of Kohl's plans last night, "~, would be delighted to' dlscttss the possibility et all Olympic ~'alning facility .in Florida," h~ said, $1.5 .t lii i n''$Po s''center ConEaued From Page lA "We are in the process of establlshiny facilities at Squaw Valle. y, Calif.,, Colorado' Springs and Lake Placid, One in Florida would give us' the geographical spread we are socking. The cimmte ts'also conducive to trainiug 12 months a year, which is very attractive to tlS. , "To date," he said, '"we hadn't been able tofind the type of site in' Florida fl~a~ would satisfy all our needs, but Mr. Kohl's plans sound terrific and I would be extremely interested in hehring more about them," In-addltion tO the U.S. Olympic Committee, ,Kohl has contacted U,S. Sen, Russell Eong, D-La., chmrman of the S6nate committee that controls funds for the Olympics. · On Tuesday~ Leap's committee approved $30 million for Q~e development of amateur athletics, $12 million of Which was earmarked for the cgnstruction of Olympic training facilities. - '~! anticipate h~ving plans for consti'uetion finished by the end of April," Kohl said. . In hie letter to Long, Kohl also fndicated the site ~yoald indlfide"'a professional ballfield, starting with a 2,500-seat stadium." , McHale could not be reached for.comment last night, , bu~ ha recently t01d the Sun-Sen!mol that the Expos ' : would' like tO train in South Florida if a satisfactory facility could be found. They now train in Daytona Beach. "LOl~iSticall~," he sold at tho time "Daytona Beach is a lon~ bus tide to just about every place we play. '"I. 'he .P_ ~PJC0 le there have been tremendous but we wOUld have to look ~erJo?sly at any reasonabl? op- portunity to relocate.in tins area. South Florida is place for spring training.' , th Charles Bronfman, Mo~]treat s chairman of e bom'd, said last night from Daytqna Beach, "I have met Mr: Kolil, but, M~, McHale h~s been doing most of the Kohl also has contacted Florida's two U.S, senato?s~ talking with him There are still some big questions to Lawtan Chiles and Richard Stone; U.S. Rep. Paul ~ ....... 00 answered; No doubt the people of Daytona Beach Roge's D-West.Prom ~eacn a m ~resiaent Carter ;or lmve been very good tO as bt t we have I~cn and are ~uppor~ ,, '. , interest~ m r~l~atlng in ~ou~ Florida for ~e obwous "With or wlthou~ federal funds, I'll work toward making tho site a ~training ground for Olymp oath. reasons, ~ 'We are Interested In talking to Boynton Beach or let~/' Kohl sald, .~. ' lln~bod!~ else that Call help US Improve our fao lties, Kohl, berating ~:prlor ,~mmlm?~ to Jo~ M~al~, c~tb;t ~eny tho stmation could rb~ch a much firme~ co ~ment on ~o Egpos' phns, , Kohl." But k ~a~ t~n~. that d~ing a:w~end m~g ' ~ro's no doub~ Bronfman would share In a decision, bemeon el~ offielols MoHair ~nd Expos',dtr~tors,, to m~ve assnan~l'~ro r~oeiv~ that ~ho EI~s woulO ~I~ a, . Th~ ES~a ~hared ~'~st Palm ~ach faelll~ wl~ tlc ~ ar~ comp eted ,, ,, , ,197~, ' ~ proposal by Boynton ch to btEld a massive should be to ~sure '~ess of project . . . ~e 16A. .SENTINEL- Publls .bed by GORE NEWSPAPERS CO/VtPAN¥ T. T. Gore Blain C. Campbe}! President and Pubtis~e~ ~ I~aneger R~ E, Plaist~ E~tor 16A [ Monday, · Sports._ ComPlex Plan Needs., Fast Action The city of Boynton Beach has which will have far-reaching benofits for the city and South Florida in genera[ The city'is planning to build a SLS million sports complex _ on a 5,%acre ia-act off Congress. Avenue. Funded with fex!eral .and city . money, . the project v,411 .um, clubhouse facilities, three practice fields, track, f/eld and boxing facilities.and picnic, :tennis an:il playgronnd .:-_ area~ ~ '.: . -,.- - .. . ' - ' '- The~ sports' cohal~lex' will' probabi~,' be instvrm~tal bringing the Montreal Expos ,bas~ball ~team' t? BoTptoa 25/ Beac~,.fo? spring training:' ' :' ":; ~ ' ' ' '-~t Also ~t~,e U.S. Olympi~ Con'ma]tte~ ha~ expresseff keea~ interest -m :the poss/bll/ty of using the .qit_e- training facility. -' · - .These two additions to the South Florida } a dr~ ~aiic effect on the economy-of the ar~' and ~-' viewing Spectacle for tourists, and'residents :' Much'-ot':the-credit2 for the: project must go to. ~ Mana§ei' Frank Kohl.who ,has been'~orking .behind'the' ~ ::]..scenes :to Brink these hdditions to fruition. It shows that ............ sub~anttal:.~ ~ foremght and. agress~ve leadershap' can bring : ' progress to a commm~ity. This facility could end up as one of $ofitlr Florida's showcase operations with the re,mltant influx of tourist dollars.and,.satis[action for ye~?~uncl residents. '.'/ - The clUb. officials Shored 'ph ea at ftfll pac~, to re,sol~,e ~ planning and/unding, the' ensure the success of the project: The Olympic Committee's interest should be developeA into/. a commitment for their, utilizing the complex. It is the type of business, that must be appealing to Bo~mton Beach residents and a developmm3, t in which the citycan be prnudz Exhibit E On, COmplex Co~ ~m~ a f~l re~ o~ ~ p~an t~ay ~t w~k ~e S~n~e] ~ ~e: ci~ enter~ a~men~ w~ w~ld b~g ~ Mongol E~s to ~ton B~ch fo~: sp~g ~g ~ 1~. ~e a~ent ~g~ on ~menr imm me ~W. - · . . Mrs. ~ac~o~ ~ "I ~e~d he's had d~erent ~pI~ ~d I ~e he ~1 ~nvemafions re~ on w~t ~'s.fo~d outJ~ KohI's p~ w~ ~m~ m a le~ he r~enfly ~nt to U.S. ~s~ w~k ~.d~ to C~em on ~ he has had ~Fu~ ~d finU ways to what o~ nd"deal could be future training site ints include nd back to ether ~han the Leisure, ~- presum- develaping ~a.ier league eith Daytona 'k, But there his area, the ~ng one day, high winds and cold temperatures. And while the facilities are adequate, most spring training trips are a four-hoar bas ride for the Expos. Here they would be less tban two hours away from the Orioles, Yankees, Rangers, Braves. Royals and Dodgers. It is knbwn that Montreal president John McHale, a resiilent Of North. Palm Beach, has had several talks with ]Boynton ]Beach city manager Frank Kohl. But Kohl would offer no comment Thursday a.nd McHale was not available for comment' at the training camp motel in Daytona Beach, ~[ehi, though, attended the Expos game against. ~e Braves at the 'vFesi Palm Beach Municipal Stadi urn: last Saturday. and was heard to remark to McHale as he ie!t, See you in our park next year - Palm Beach County Commissioner Bill'Medlen would offer another no comment when asked about the transfer of the parcel of land. For obvious reasons the Expos are quieting the issue at least until~ the end of spring training, They are probably work. ng on the thesis that if you are quitting one job you don't tell your present boss about it until you ,arc sure you have another job. But it's no secret McHale and the Expos have been looking to come back to south Florida. In the Doast he has admitted that he has looked fram Stuart Homestead for a site, Only now he apparently is on the verge of finding one. TM 'Exnos' spring training season ends with a g. ame against tho L~iversity of Miami at Coral Gables April ~5, It is after that that some formal announce. ment is expected to be made on the 197t{ spring train. ing site, · 'Nothing's definite.~ Mr. Kohl has high hopes but nothing is definite. The truth is that if :is all very much up in the air. if is still coniecture. We are !sure going to try.' ' -- Mayor Emily Jackson Boynton Has Eye On Expos BOYNTON BEACH- City Manager Frank Kohl his held "discussions" that cunld bring the Montreal E~pos to Boynton Beach for spring training next year. ( However, Kohl and -John McHale, president and chief executive officer of the Expos, said the talks are o~ly preliminary and, according to McHUle, "there are 1~ of bridges to cross" before a decision is made. Kohl and Mayor Emily Jackson hope to use a .~e tract of land behind the South Technical Education ter on Cengres~ Avenue for the team's spring train- ~g beedquarter~ if th~ deal goes through. i' The City Council will meet Monday to review the agreement between the County Commission and the c/ty giving Boynton Beach the land for $1. That agreement calls for the city to develop the l~&nd for soine municipal purpese w/thin 10 years after it is turned over. < E/forts to bring the Expos to the city also will be ~ at the meeting Mrs. Jackson said. i Kohl ~ would like to deve~ ~ at,,~,~. c~mplex on the site and lia~ qarter, Sen. Russell Long V ~e committee that pre~ t~e Olympics; Florid~ ~one, and U.S. Rev "I am writlr ~r~ing t~e o1~ and c~' Expos --: From B3 - ~lcHale; reache~ ia Daytor~ Beach at the ExPOs' spring ix'a~ng site, said, "we have had some dis, cUSSiona (with KChl)' b~t that Mbn- treal offic/ah also have telketl to a dozen other c/ties ih South Florida about possible spring tr'a',_tulng sites. b move imm Daytona Beach ~ would be advantageea~ for the team be/~ause the weather is warmer an~ more teams train in 5oath Florida, gi~ing the Expos a chance to put to~ether better ,~pr/ng training schedules, McHate ssi& McHUle has an offzeason hom~ in Palm Beaclt The Expos' farm team in'the Class A Florida State Leag~ae is_kbezed in West Palm Beach and Bench s Murdci~l '$/adium~ sha/~g the facility with the Atian~ Br~vea. Montreal moved it~ -~l~ing ~g camp to Daytona Beach ~fter Atlan- ta~-terminated that arrangemanL. McHale has praised Dayton~ Beach and the cooporatinn o~ city o~/icinls there bu[' has con/immd to show [nteres~ in several prol0ossd site.~ i~ Palm Beack aec1 neighboring ee~ -. "Obvionsly we think- it woul/~ be 9retry good or we ~vo~fld~'t be faIk-