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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 13, 2005 Ballfield contract fallout continues By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune The news that Miles Field would not be replaced by this summer disappointed some high school seniors, who were looking forward to playing on the new field before heading off to college, said Steve Antich, South Medford High School baseball coach. "They got a little bit cheated their senior years," said Antich, adding his varsity team will have to play on rival North Medford’s field for its home games this year. City officials say they’re considering whether to end their contract with the Medford Youth Baseball Society to build a replacement for Miles Field because the society failed to seek competitive bidding before hiring Batzer Inc. to do the job. The project was moving ahead as planned when Ironworkers union representative Tom Rios told City Attorney Ron Doyle in mid-November that proper bidding procedures had not been followed. Advertisement "It was the first time I heard that," said Doyle. Rios said he values the project itself but believes fair procedures need to be followed for public projects. "We don’t care if we lose a job, we just want an opportunity to bid on them," said Rios. "I did file a complaint with the Bureau of Labor and Industries." Doyle looked into the matter and learned Rios was right, he said. Society President Gary Miller awarded the contract without competitive bidding. "He and his society signed a contract," Doyle said. "They had to comply with the public contracting rules." But Miller tells a different version. "We don’t agree with the city’s position that we are at fault for this situation," he said Wednesday. He said he asked Scott Archer, former Parks and Recreation Department director, if it was all right to give the construction contract to Batzer, and the society "got the green light." "We feel they (the city) had some culpability in this, too," said Miller. "We were OK to go ahead and award an agreement." Society attorney Tim Jackle said if the group could do it differently, it would have obtained approval in writing. He said perhaps Archer misunderstood the question. Jackle said the society, as a private entity, could not do the public bidding for this project and that the task is up to the city. "We have done a lot of good things," said Miller. "We feel there was a misunderstanding on behalf of both parties." Jackle said he’s hopeful the society will maintain involvement. "I think that we will all weather this," he said. Attempts to reach Archer by press time Wednesday were unsuccessful. The Medford City Council will consider termination of the contract at its Jan. 20 meeting. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers