Mill Valley's Parks and Recreation Commission took up three items Wednesday that will shape youth and adult athletics across the city: a progress check on the $276,400 Hauke Park softball renovation, a proposed new field allocation policy for youth sports organizations, and a staff recommendation to launch a competitive search for a new Boyle Park tennis operator.
The five-member commission, chaired by Naomi Gray, met Aug. 5 at City Hall. Staff reports posted ahead of the meeting outline the recommended actions; official minutes confirming the commission's votes have not yet been published.
Hauke Park softball: March 1 target
The softball renovation was listed as a receive-and-discuss item with no separate staff report, meaning the commission heard a verbal update on the project the City Council approved 5-0 on June 16. That vote committed $100,000 in city funds toward rebuilding the Hauke Park complex, which lacks enclosed dugouts, spectator seating behind home plate, a safe pitcher warm-up area and storage. Mill Valley Softball has raised roughly $50,000 toward the $276,400 total.
The target: finish core field work before the 2027 season opens March 1. Phase 2 items, including a snack shack, scoreboard and batting cage, carry a separate $80,000 estimate.
"I want to make sure we are thinking of this less like an amenity and more about what it is … which is remedying structural inequity in our facilities because the girls are getting wet and they have no place to store their things while the boys are playing at Boyle," Councilmember Katherine Jones said at the June 16 council meeting that greenlit the project.
Field allocation: proposed rules for who plays where
Recreation Supervisor Kristie Hubacker presented a proposed Athletic Field Use and Allocation Policy developed through a stakeholder working group process that began with a public hearing Feb. 4. Eight participants, including youth sports representatives, private trainers, commercial users and commissioners, shaped the draft.
Key changes staff recommended the commission adopt:
- A partial-field rental pilot at Friends Field, Bayfront Field and Bell-Ropers Field, letting groups book a quarter-field for $16.50 per hour instead of the full-field rate of $66.
- A formal allocation process for commercial users.
- Non-use deposits and fees designed to push organizations to release reserved time they won't use.
- Enforcement options including a seasonal Field Monitor program.
Staff recommended a comprehensive review in fall 2027 after one full allocation cycle.
A companion policy update would remove an old eight-person minimum participant requirement and bring insurance standards current. That item requires City Council approval.
Boyle Park tennis: a push to find a new pro
The commission's most consequential agenda item concerned Boyle Park's five lighted tennis courts. The facility's longtime concessionaire, who has served the Mill Valley tennis community since 1988 and has held the Boyle Park concession agreement since 1995, is retiring at the end of October.
Arts and Recreation Deputy Director Jay Ingram's staff report recommended launching a Request for Qualifications process to find a replacement operator responsible for court scheduling, instruction, camps, clinics, leagues, tournaments and routine maintenance. The selected operator would pay the city an annual fee.
The facility averages about $52,900 in net annual profit on roughly $207,000 in revenue. Court surface improvements are already funded as a capital project for May 2027, following City Council's adoption of the Boyle Park Master Plan on May 18.
Councilmember Stephen Burke said at the May 18 master plan discussion that, as of that meeting, the upper two courts were unplayable and unsafe.
What's next
The commission's next regular meeting is Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. Any policy recommendations from the Aug. 5 session that require council action will move to the City Council calendar for final approval.
