By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                A second youth athletic organization in Chiefland is moving slowly toward becoming a reality, although the birthing pains have been challenging at times.

                Chiefland City Commissioners Monday instructed City Attorney Norm Fugate to draft a facilities use agreement that would allow the Tri County Athletic Commission, LLC to use city parks for its recreational activities.

            TCAC founders Victoria and Aaron Larkin have agreed to coordinate the scheduling of games and practices with the city and to work with Chiefland Area Athletic Association (CAAA) to avoid scheduling conflicts.

            Commissioners told Fugate to structure the facilities use agreement for TCAC in a way that is nearly identical to CAAA because CAAA, the oldest youth sports organization, already uses the city’s parks for its ongoing activities.

            City Manager Mary Ellzey read from the existing CAAA facilities use agreement which states that the organization doesn’t have exclusive use of the city’s parks and must work cooperatively with other sports organizations.

            Ellzey said use of park facilities is on a first-come, first-serve basis for any organization, including for CAAA. Commissioner Rollin Hudson pointed out that CAAA has built facilities at Charles Strickland Park and maintains those facilities for the city. CAAA primarily uses Strickland Park for its sports practices and games although it sometimes uses Eddie Buie Park as well. The Larkins said TCAC’s base of operation will be Eddie Buie Park.

            The facilities use agreement for TCAC must come back to the Chiefland City Commission for approval.  TCAC can tentatively begin using Buie Park for its operations before approval of the agreement.

            Victoria Larkin said TCAC needed approval for use of the city’s sports fields before it could move forward. She said the organization has formed an LLC and applied for non-profit status, which she has been assured is going to be approved.

            The two organizations will share use of the Chiefland Middle High School football field for Saturday games. CAAA already uses the field. Aaron Larkin said CAAA has two home games scheduled for the upcoming season which means TCAC will have use of the field for the remaining 12 of 14 games for the season.

            Victoria Larkin said 36 children have expressed an interest in playing soccer and 28 students want to be cheerleaders. She said they also plan to offer Flag Corps and cheerleading competitions and tutoring services provided by cheerleaders who want to earn community service points. CAAA provides none of those activities, she said.

            Larkin said they originally planned to offer football through Pop Warner but as soon as CAAA learned of their plans, President Lee Bell decided to use Pop Warner for his football program rather than using the Tri-County Football Commission league they have always played in.

            “We don’t want conflict, so if he wants to do Pop Warner, we talked to the commissioner from the tri-county league – and that’s what CAAA has always played in ­– and he said they would take us with the same agreement when we gave the city documentation and city said we can use your fields,” Larkin said.

            Commissioners are aware that the new league is essentially a breakaway organization from CAAA. The board doesn’t want inter-league squabbles nor does it want to be internally involved with either organization.

            “I don’t think the city necessarily wants to endorse any one league or anyone else,” said Mayor Chris Jones, adding later, “I don’t think we’re the referee or the mediator for either entity.”

            Commissioner Lewrissa Mainwaring said she wouldn’t support anything that leads to a ruckus between leagues. She suggested a short-term facilities use agreement to see how the two-league arrangement works out, but the commission, on advice from Fugate, advised the attorney to ink an agreement almost identical to that of CAAA.

            City Commissioner Norm Weaver, a former coach and school district official from Pasco County has attended two CAAA board meetings to find out how the league operates and whether it has ironed out some of its internal problems.

            Weaver made a statement at a previous meeting about missing money in CAAA, which turned out to be inaccurate. He apologized.

            “Since then we found out where that money has gone. It was spent in the right place, it just wasn’t detailed. He (Lee Bell) has put people in place to do a better job,” Weaver said.

            Weaver added that the new treasurer for CAAA has a good financial background and knows what she’s doing, but that wasn’t always the case for the organization.

            “What she had gotten in the past was a ledger with a bunch of numbers not identifying what the money had been spent for or what it was going for,” he said.

            Two members of TCAC spoke to the commission about why they were going with the new organization rather than CAAA.

            Andrew Carter, a TCAC board member, and coach said many of the former CAAA parents complained of Bell not being a good communicator and not being transparent about how the league was operated or why decisions were made.

            “From where I stand and from what I see going on – my children are being coached by Lee Bell in (CMHS) track – he has no communication skills with outside people at all. He doesn’t speak to the parents; he doesn’t discuss things about the situation. There’s no communication whatsoever and that’s part of the reason I joined this organization,” Carter said. “I want to be involved for the kids. I want parents to understand what’s going on with their children. I want them to see it all. I want it laid out in front of them. I want them to know every detail of what’s going on, what I’ll be doing with their children, what the rest of us will be doing with their children. I don’t want any hidden-nothing. I don’t want any issues with communication and Lee, in my opinion, just isn’t a communicator when it comes to that. A lot of parents I’ve spoken to have that issue. That is one of the main issues, and they don’t have any transparency as far as where the money goes.”

            Mike Prem, vice president of TCAC, said the league moved its operation to Buie Park to avoid conflicts with CAAA.

            “We want to disassociate with them as much as possible and not get in their way,” Prem said.

            “Essentially what we’re asking for is give us the right to use your facilities as long as it doesn’t interfere with anyone else,” he said.

            Prem said TCAC would coordinate with City Manager Mary Ellzey on scheduling. They will also coordinate on use of the CMHS football field.

            Fugate is expected to bring back a proposed TCAC facilities use agreement to the next city commission meeting for board approval.

            TCAC will hold its next board meeting on March 6 at 9:30 a.m. before a car wash. A parents meeting is scheduled for Strickland Park at 1 p.m. Victoria Larkin said if the parents meeting presents a conflict with CAAA they will move the meeting to another location.

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City of Chiefland Regular Meeting February 22, 2021; Posted February 23, 2021