LETTER RE JOE DEMAGGIO SPORTS COMPLEX NAMING RIGHTS THE LONG CENTER FOUNDATION INC
THE LONGICENTER FOUNDA1ION, INc.
Board of Trustees:
Chairperson
Jan H. Tracy
Vice Chair
Joani B. Kelter
Treasurer
John P. "Pat" Callan
Secretary
Trish Johnston
At Large
John J. Catalano
Trustees:
John W. Barbee, Jr.
Ebe Bower
Christine Chirolas Brewer
Candace Gardner
J. Kevin Gardner
J. B.Johnson
Robert P. Kinney
Wayne C. Mineo
Bob Moore
Rogers Quimby
Daniel C. Richardson
Donald M. Sealey
Daryl J. Seaton
Deborah "Debbie" J. White
Chairman Emeritus
Frederick E. Fisher
Trustee Emeritus
Harris E. "Zip" Long
Shirley I. Long
Gwen Sherrick
Executive Director
Robb Resler
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LEAVE A LEGACY'"
TAMPA BAY
1501 N Belcher Rd. Ste 224. Clearwater. FL. 33765-1339
(727) 799 - 2149 FAX (727) 797 - 2075
e-mail:longctrfdn@earthlink.net
h:..::GEIVED
January 12,2001
Mr. William Home, City Manager
City of Clearwater
112 S. Osceola Ave
PO Box 4748
Clearwater, FL 33758-4748
(" \ I~ 2 4 2001
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE
Dear Mr. Home:
Nearly 13 years ago, almost $500,000 was raised through private contributions to
construct the baseball fields and soccer fields at the "Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex."
Not included in these contributions were thousands of contractor time dollars for the
removal of tons of garbage to create a space safe for youth sports and recreation. The
Long Center Foundation is proud to recognize the efforts of our earlier private citizen
donors in the creation of this facility.
After much deliberation the Trustees of The Long Center Foundation have agreed to the
following decision regarding the naming rights for the two baseball fields at the Joe
DiMaggio Sports Complex.
The naming rights for the two baseball fields, currently owned by The Long Center
Foundation, Inc., will be relinquished to the City of Clearwater and the Phillies
organization, for the purpose of supporting the construction of the Phillies Spring
Training Facility, as a goodwill gesture, without financial remuneration to The Long
Center Foundation, Inc.
The initial proposal presented to the City Commissioners on December 12, 2000 was
done so in the spirit of good business practices for a fundraising organization such as The
Long Center Foundation. Whatever money would have been received by the Foundation
would have been put back into the Long Center and hence would have remained the
community's money. The very nature of this organization is to provide a "public"
facility, which was jointly created (and continues to be supported by) private funding but
belongs to the communities it serves.
Please note that additional considerations to this agreement include:
1. The name "Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex" continues to be associated with this
property and prominently displayed (already completed).
2. Clearwater for Youth is allowed to continue to use these fields (already agreed).
3. Should this site not be chosen as the site for the Phillies Spring Training facility, then
The Long Center Foundation will maintain ownership of the naming rights of these
two ball fields. This stipulation will apply whether or not the ball fields continue to
exist and whether or not the use of the property changes.
The mission of The Long Center Foundation, Inc., is to define and provide the financial support and long-term security
_ for the Long Center, a world class educational and recreational facility, through public funding and private philanthropic
., givng to ensure that the Cen!er and its ongoing activities meet the needs of the community.
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF
CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING 1-800-435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT,
APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
CO-liLI-DC
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Mr. William Horn, City Manager
January 12,2001
Page 2
Please understand, the intentions of the Trustees of The Long Center Foundation are
guided by our obligation:
· To manage all of the community owned Long Center Facilities for the benefit of the
citizens of our communities and the more than one hundred community organizations
that utilize them.
· To represent the Foundation's interests and fiduciary commitment to our private
citizen donors as they continue to provide a major portion of the facilities' expenses
by annual operating support and endowment subsidies.
It is further the intentions of the Trustees of the Foundation that this letter be used to
generate a one-page agreement between the City of Clearwater and the Trustees, which
will incorporate the aforementioned points.
Thank you for partnering to ensure that adequate spaces are maintained in our
communities for our children to continue to participate and enjoy sports and recreation
programs designed for their benefit and development.
Respectfully submitted and adopted by the Trustees of The Long Center Foundation, this
12th day of January, 2001.
90->, Ll)(-~~
Jan H. Tracy J
Chairperson
~
Robb Resler
Executive Director
Cc: City Commissioners, City of Clearwater
John Timberlake, Director of Philadelphia Phillies