City approves opening sports complexes for team practices

The Madison City Commission has approved opening up the city’s sports complexes for baseball and softball teams to start practices.  During their meeting Monday, commissioners approved a recommendation from the city’s Park and Recreation Board.  That recommendation includes opening the athletic complexes up for traveling teams to begin practice starting today, with the city’s youth baseball league planning to start on May 18th and the city’s youth softball league planning to start on June 1st.  No games or scrimmages will be allowed on the ball diamonds until June 1st.  

The city’s Park Board held a special meeting last week to discuss it and voted to provide this recommendation to the city commission.  City Parks Supervisor Mike McGillivray told commissioners about some of the rules teams will need to follow in order to use the fields.

Mike Miller, who serves on the city’s Park Board, told commissioners some of the other rules that will be in place. 

Commissioner Kelly Johnson is the city’s liaison on the Park Board and said he supports the Board’s recommendation. 

Commissioner Mike Waldner asked how the sharing of equipment will be handled and how the teams will be monitored to make sure they are following the guidelines.  

McGillivray said the responsibility will be on the different associations and teams in order to make it work. 

Waldner also asked that the Park Board discuss a policy for how to handle if anyone on one of the teams or associated with one of the teams tests positive for COVID-19.  The Park Board’s next meeting is May 12th and Waldner said he’d like to hear back from them with that information at the commission’s meeting on May 18th.