Mary Alice Reporting –
A youth organizations baseball Director called out city administration for sending a letter to his personal address. The mayor says it was for information only.
Following a few days of uncertainties related to a water leak at the Uhrichsville Park concessions and restroom building, Dave Mello, director of Twin City Youth Baseball, spoke to council, on Thursday, about a letter he received in the mail just hours before the meeting.
According to Mello, the letter from city Mayor Jim Zucal, was sent to his personal address and to him and not Twin City Baseball, and only referenced baseball once, which he takes as being personal, and read it to council.
“’Mr. Mello, the water has been shut off to the bathrooms at the baseball field due to a severe leak. In the meantime, we suggest that you sell dry goods at the concession stand. It will be necessary for you to supply a port-a-john per the existing contract.’ I have issues with this because not only was this directed straight to Dave Mello, you didn’t even do the research on the parcel numbers. So the contract that you showed that we were responsible for the bathrooms was the contract for the land that you guys are using for your laydown yard [for the Trenton Avenue project].”
Mello said that he was notified of the referenced agreement this year and that Panhandle Athletic Club (PHAC) members were not aware of the lease for the parcels on Newport Avenue. The resolution was signed in 2019 by then mayor Rick Dorland, but, from photos of the agreement shared by the city and Mello, PHAC had not signed it. It says that PHAC would lease, at $1 per year, five parcels for seven years.
Zucal said that the letter was sent to the contact information provided to them and there was no other malicious intent.
“You can quote me on this, it was petty nonsense. We just wanted him to know that we were addressing the issue and within two days we had it fixed. I’m sorry we didn’t put his title. We sent that letter to the information that he gave us. I didn’t mean to insult him.”
The letter also indicated that the contract could be amended by the Park Committee in the future.
Mello has appeared at council several times asking for a meeting with the committee to discuss the contract pertaining to the baseball fields.
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