Bronson Councilman Berlon Weeks says Bronson Parks and Recreation is broken and can’t be fixed. He favors allowing a community group run the program.

By Terry Witt -Spotlight Senior Reporter

                After a somewhat chaotic and often loud meeting Monday, Bronson Town Council members remained undecided about whether a private volunteer group should take over operation of the town’s youth sports program.

            The board voted to table a final decision on whether the Bronson Parks and Recreation (BPR) youth program should be replaced by the Bronson Youth Sports, Inc., a strictly volunteer program.

            Part of the reason for tabling the decision was that the Florida Secretary of State’s office has a backlog of incorporation applications and the proposed BYS incorporation is caught in the log jam.

BYS won’t officially become an organization until the state approves its corporate charter. Angela and David Lamb are the BYS founders. They said the state has indicated it could take another two weeks before BYS becomes a non-profit corporation. The Lambs also plan to convert the organization to tax exempt status as a 501(c)(3).

 The Lambs submitted their incorporation papers for BYS after the previous town council meeting when the board waffled on who should run the youth sports program.

            Everyone at Monday’s meeting agreed that the town’s youth sports program, regardless of who runs it, needs more community volunteers, particularly parents of children participating on sports teams.

            Residents differed as to whether BPR was flawed, broken and unable to find volunteers, or whether times had changed and parents no longer wanted to give up their time to volunteer.

            The first attempt to encourage more volunteers to assist with Bronson youth sports will come on June 29 when the town hosts a cleanup day at James H. Cobb Park. Community members will be encouraged to sign up as volunteers for the sports program regardless of who might be running it. The cleanup starts at 9 a.m.

            The town council will take another stab at making a decision on who operates the youth sports program at its July 1 meeting. The council also said an attempt to attract more volunteers would be made at the July 4 festivities beginning at about 6 p.m. The fireworks start at dark.

            Signing up as a volunteer won’t resolve the question of who operates the sports program but it would be first step toward solving the dire volunteer shortage.

            Councilman Berlon Weeks, who has pushed to convert the town’s sports program into a volunteer organization, motioned to transition from BPR to BYS but withdrew the motion when Town Attorney Steven Warm said from a legal standpoint the town couldn’t turn the program over to an organization that officially doesn’t exist as a corporation.

            Warm said the council could have made a motion to approve the transition pending approval of BYS’ incorporation papers, but by that point in the meeting the council was ready to postpone a decision after refereeing nearly three hours of verbal combat.

            The fate of the sports program continues to be emotionally explosive. It was noted that if the council doesn’t make a decision soon parents will have no choice but to take their children to neighboring communities to play in sports programs. The defection of parents to neighboring cities with more stable sports programs is a growing problem.

            BPR is run by a salaried Bronson town employee, Curtis Stacy, but BYS would be quite different. It would be operated by a five-member volunteer board of directors. The organization would need commissioners to oversee each sport, as well as coaches, concession workers and others. All volunteers would be required to pass a background check as well as fill out an application.

            An advisory board would be created of commissioners, coaches, parents, members of the community and other stakeholders necessary to provide feedback to ensure the community’s needs are being met, according to an organizational plan presented to the council.

            Angela Lamb said BYS would hold fundraisers and solicit financial support from businesses to offset operating costs. She said its tax exempt status would open the door for donations. The city would pay the electric bill and maintain the park but would not directly oversee operation of the youth sports program.

             Three council members would have to vote to make this mega change in the way the youth sports program operates but it’s not clear at this point if there are three votes to do away with a paid youth program director and let volunteers run the show.

            Weeks said it was his view that the reason some parents currently drop their kids off at the park rather than remain to lend a hand is because Bronson has the only government run youth sports program in Levy County. Other cities allow volunteers to run their youth programs.

            “People don’t come (to volunteer) when the government does everything for them,” Weeks said. “We’re the only government run organization.”

            Sherrie Schuler, a coach and athletic director at Bronson Middle High School who also worked as a volunteer for the Bronson Parks and Recreation Program and the former Bronson Youth League program, said she believes the town is better off with Stacy running the program than going back to the old volunteer system.

            “We’re asking you to leave it the way it is and let’s work out the problem and see what the solution is,” she said.

            Councilman Beatrice Roberts said her children and grandchildren grew up at the park. She said it was never meant to be a moneymaker. She said the park is not out there to make money.  She said it was disappointing that the council would want “to disrupt the park.”

            “If we take that away from our kids and parents what else is there in Bronson – absolutely nothing,” said she, her voice breaking with emotion.

            Roberts said it troubles her when people run for public office and stand on a platform and promise to “do this and that,” but don’t honor their promises. She asked the council to continue using BPR for another year and find out if it can be managed and volunteers can be found.

            But Weeks said BPR is broken and has proven that it can’t be repaired. He said BPR has been in existence for five years and no one in his family has ever been asked for a sponsorship.

            “If we’re not going to be asking people to be involved, they’re not going to be involved,” he said.

            Amy Smith said she didn’t think turning the program over to volunteers would be a good idea.

            “I think it’s going to fail if you turn it over to the community,” she said.

            Smith said she thinks BPR should be given a second chance.

            Late in the meeting Stacy confronted Weeks, telling him he was tired of the allegations Weeks had leveled at him in previous meetings implying that he was stealing from concession stands. Stacy said he doesn’t steal and he doesn’t have the authority to write checks.

            Still later, Stacy walked to the front of the council chamber and stood directly in front of Weeks accusing him of using his position as a council member to intimidate Town Hall staff. He alleged Weeks had made staff members cry. Weeks flatly denied the allegation. Mayor Robert Partin ordered Stacy back to his seat.

            July 4^th Ceremony

            Weeks said the unveiling of a plaque honoring the founder of James H. Cobb Park, Robbie Blake, and the original board members who assisted her, Nancy Bell, Adamarie Keeton and Edith Brown, will take place at 7 p.m. at the park.

            Park Insecurity?

            After the council meeting, Partin was asked if Warm was writing an ordinance making it a violation of town law for any motor vehicle to enter the park from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

            The council agreed, without a formal vote at a May council meeting, that a sign would be placed at entrances to James H. Cobb Park warning people not to enter the park between those hours, but Partin said Warm wasn’t writing the ordinance.

            Partin said the town would install hidden security cameras and determine whether that was enough to stop vandalism at the park.

            Weeks was told about Partin’s statement after Monday’s meeting. He expressed shock that Partin said Warm wasn’t drafting the ordinance and that only security cameras would be used at the park. Weeks said he was told nothing about the change of plans.

            No formal vote was taken on the matter at the May meeting but nothing was said about tabling it either.

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Town of Bronson Workshop and Regular Meeting June 17, 2019; Posted June 18, 2019