Clearwater is the new home of a rugby team.

 

Monday, the Clearwater City Council Monday agreed to move ahead with developing a lease for the St. Cloud Rugby Club to use the field at Eldorado Park as its home field.

 

“We’re hoping to use the field you have out there,” said JonPaul Dufour, president of the St. Cloud Bottom Feeders rugby team. “We’d like to make it our home.” 

 

The club has two “legs”, the senior men’s team and a high school team made up of players from area schools, including Becker, Annandale and St. Cloud. The senior team has its games Saturday and holds practices Tuesdays and Thursdays. The high school team would use the field on four Fridays in the spring.

 

“We’ve used the field for about a year now. It’s a beautiful facility and we like coming here,” said Dan Franklin, who serves on the board of directors for the non-profit that oversees the men’s team and the high school team that will be using the facility.

 

“We’d like to formalize a agreement and make it our home moving forward,” he said.

 

Members of the council were pleased.

 

“I think it’s great news,” said Councilman Rollie Lange. “We’ve been trying to attract people from inside and outside the community. You’re our first sports team. We’re making progress.”

 

Franklin says it is a benefit for the city as well.

 

“We have a few teams in the league from Iowa,” he said. “Last year they stayed at the hotel in town and were spending money in town.”

 

Councilman Chris Ritzer asked whether there would be a conflict if someone else was already using the field when the rugby team had a game scheduled.

 

“It’s a public park,” he said.

 

“Most times in St. Cloud, people have been pretty nice about it,” said Dufour. 

 

He said they only use the field a few times during the spring and fall. He said practice can be done without taking up the entire field.

 

Administrator Kevin Kress said once there was an official agreement, the city could post a notice on the wall of the pavilion at the park stating the field was reserved.

 

Mayor Pete Edmonson said there are plans to develop the park, which means there may be modifications to the playing area. But he said he didn’t think there would be an issue.

 

Ritzer said the plans show the current field would remain as green space.

 

“I know there are plans for out there and we’d like to be a part of that plan,” said Franklin, “so rugby can grow and be a part of the community long-term.”

 

Edmonson asked if the team was looking for more amenities, like bleachers or a scoreboard.

 

Franklin said they hadn’t considered it at this point.

 

“It’s all open for discussion,” he said. “It would be phenomenal if we get that at some point but it’s not necessary.”

 

Under the proposed agreement, the team would pay the city $1,000 per year and be responsible for covering the cost of a portable toilet.

 

The city would maintain the field.

 

Kress said he would have a draft of a lease for the next council meeting.

 

In other action the council:

 

• Approved a tax exempt gambling permit for St. Luke’s Church to hold a raffle at its Fall Festival  Aug. 21;

 

• Passed a resolution hiring Mike Flynn and Jack Helget to perform temporary seasonal lawn maintenance;

• Approved cancelling the April 18 regular city council meeting.