Rogers Park First Tee Concerns Near Resolution

Details remain to be worked out, but the Tampa Sports Authority last week moved closer to resolving a neighborhood group's concerns about a proposed youth golf program at Rogers Park Golf Course.

Contract recommendations are expected to be hammered out in a meeting between residents and the Metropolitan Tampa Area YMCA, which will operate First Tee.

The sports authority board will review the recommendations at its Feb. 16 board meeting before sending a letter to Mayor Pam Iorio. The city owns Rogers Park, and the sports authority manages the property at 7911 N. Willie Black Drive.

City Councilman Tom Scott wants the authority's attorney also to weigh in on the recommendations and the letter's wording before it goes to Iorio.

So far Iorio has refused to amend the 2-year-old contract between the city and the YMCA. Clark Construction is donating the estimated $250,000 to remodel an old clubhouse at the golf course.
In return, the city will allow the YMCA to use the facility rent-free for 10 years.

The First Tee program, which teaches golf as well as lifestyle values, is expected to begin in March. Participants will have access to the Rogers Park driving range, a three-hole practice area and championship golf course.

Last week at the authority's board meeting, James Ransom, grandson of G.D Rogers, asked the authority to follow through on a November vote to agree on recommendations for the mayor's letter. He said there have been delays in scheduling meetings between the YMCA and members of Citizens Who Support Keeping Rogers Park Public.

Members have raised concerns about the contract, saying they are worried the YMCA wants to privatize the golf course. They also said contract language needs clarification on who would qualify for First Tee as well as public access to the historical golf course. They also want historical designation for the golf course and a museum.

During segregation, Rogers Park was the only park open to blacks for picnics or political rallies. In the 1950s, a nine-hole golf course, built with money and labor from black neighborhoods, was the only course open for blacks to play golf. The course was expanded to 18 holes in the 1970s.

Residents' input has been helpful, said County Commissioner Jim Norman. "We're just trying to get it right," he said.

YMCA officials repeatedly have said the focus of First Tee would be teaching golf to low-income children eligible for scholarships to cover program fees. They provided a letter laying out the program's objectives and saying they had no interest in taking over management of the golf course.

Franklin Middle School and Academy Prep of Tampa Bay have existing First Tee programs. Other schools, including Sligh Middle and Middleton High schools, might sign up. The remodeled clubhouse will have a golf swing simulator, an indoor putting green, storage space, an administrative office and 10 computer stations for a learning center.

Community groups, including a Sunday youth ministry, might be able to use the clubhouse as well, said Lionel Ballard whose uncle helped build the original golf course. "We want to make sure we get programs going," Ballard said.

Ransom said the YMCA's letter helped clarify several issues, reducing a list of 23 items of concern to only five or six. He is hopeful a meeting with the YMCA officials will settle remaining issues, primarily related to public access of the golf course and the clubhouse where First Tee will meet.

"There is a lot more positive at this point than there is negative," he said.