A motion is on tomorrow night’s Sacramento City Council agenda authorizing the City Manager, or the City Manager’s designee, to execute an Exclusive Right to Negotiate agreement with Hobo Sports Inc. to provide for an evaluation of the organizational and financial capacity to design, finance, renovate and operate the Harry Renfree Baseball Field in Del Paso Regional Park.

Renfree Field had been in use for several decades until it recently fell into disrepair and was closed. It’s press-box recently caught fire.

The Department of Parks and Recreation does not have the funds to renovate the facility nor the funds to properly operate it, so a decision was made to identify an entity that was willing and able to take on this project to reopen the field to baseball leagues and tournaments. Hobo Sports Inc. and Friends of Renfree Field responded.

Parks and Recreation is recommending Hobo Sports Inc. based on their qualification and experience. With the agreement in place, City staff would be able to conduct negotiations with Hobo to determine if a lease agreement can be reached to allow for renovation of Renfree Field for use by baseball leagues and for possible financial compensation to the City. If negotiations are successful, the scope of work for the capital improvements, phasing schedule, marketing plan, planned uses, and other matters would be set out in a lease agreement that would be brought to City Council for approval.

The item is on the Consent Calendar.