LAWTON – The Parks and Recreation Commission will still have work to do after the Lawton Youth Sports Authority takes over the administration of the city’s programs for young athletes, said Parks and Recreation Director Christine James.
“If you read all of what the Parks and Rec Commission’s supposed to do, historically we’ve done this much of it,” she said during the commission’s March 16 meeting. “And so, losing the youth sports aspect is not a hit to what this commission’s supposed to be doing.”
The commission discussed its responsibilities in light of the recent launch of the Youth Sports Authority, which will be responsible for developing and overseeing youth sports programs. The discussion touched on a variety of issues, including whether the city will save money by turning those programs over to the authority.
The commission maintains a clear division of responsibilities between itself, the Lawton City Council and the staff of the Parks and Rec Department, according to the commission’s webpage on the city’s website, lawtonok.gov. The commission is also responsible for advising the Lawton City Council, the administration and the public on issues related to providing recreational programs and facilities for the community.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department currently oversees youth sports programs, but they will be turned over to the Youth Sports Authority. The authority’s other responsibilities include recruiting state and national tournaments, as well as managing playing fields and other facilities.
The authority does not have a timetable for completing the transition from city-run youth sports programs to authority-run programs, said Authority Chairman Brian Henry.
“There is discussion about attempts to get some of this started by the change of the fiscal year for the city, which is July 1,” he said. “It would include any sports currently run by the city of Lawton Parks and Rec Department.”
Henry said the authority does not plan to manage the daily operations of Lawton’s youth sports programs, but it will hire a director and/or a contractor to run them. If the authority hires a director, that person would be employed by the trust, not the city.
Parks and Recreation Chairwoman Sherene Williams wanted to know if having the authority oversee youth sports would help the city cut costs.
“Is there going to be a cost savings for the city?” she asked.
Henry said other communities that have tapped an outside entity to run their youth sports programs still require some kind of city subsidy.
“I’ve gotten information directly from Stillwater, Edmond and Norman, and the city still provides some sort of financial support for all of those communities, even though it is contracted out to a 501(c)(3),” he said. “Either maintenance costs, or the city actually still maintains the fields, the lights, the sprinkler systems, things of that nature.”