By Tao Woolfe
Boynton Beach has broken its contract with Philip Terrano, who sought to renovate the Little League baseball fields he played on 25 years ago.
The news of Terrano’s ouster was cheered by East Boynton Beach Little League parents and officials who have been saying for months that they had been cut out of the plans for their own park.
They have also told the city they do not want — or need — the sophisticated sports complex and field renovations being proposed.
“We were not even notified,” said Jared Ryan, who came to a City Commission meeting last month accompanied by three boys. “We showed up on a Monday and suddenly there’s a fence around the field. It just stinks.”
A financial consultant recently reviewed Terrano’s funding proposal for the athletic center and renovating the park’s fields and buildings, according to a certified letter from City Manager Daniel Dugger to Terrano, dated Feb. 16.
The consultant, PFM Financial Advisors, LLC, determined that Terrano’s company, Primetime Sports, “has not demonstrated the ability to procure the funds needed for the construction of this facility.”
In his letter to Terrano, Dugger said the city “hereby declares Primetime to be in default of the agreement … and … exercises the city’s right to terminate the agreement for cause immediately.”
The breakup followed months of heated exchanges between Terrano and the parents of Little League players who objected to sports business owners coming in and taking over the park.
Terrano’s concept had been to turn the park into a state-of-the-art baseball complex, complete with indoor training facilities, artificial turf, accommodation for baseball players with disabilities and a make-over of concession areas and bathrooms.
He had been joined in his efforts by Michael Barwis, founder of Athletic Angels, which provides baseball camps, clinics and training for underprivileged kids and those with disabilities. The city, which has a separate contract with Barwis for training and field improvements, has not canceled that contract.
At the moment, crews have torn up Field 1, the largest in the park and the only one of the four designed for the oldest group (up to age 16), to equip it with artificial turf.
The Little League parents and supporters are not happy that Barwis’s group is still in the mix because their children will not be allowed to play on Field 1 until it is completed sometime this summer.
Meanwhile, the season is underway.
Dozens of East Boynton Beach Little League kids, sporting colorful new uniforms, spread out on the fields on Feb. 9 to celebrate the official season opening.
There were food trucks, marchers carrying banners, lots of parents with cameras and vendors selling baseball-themed clothing and jewelry. Music blasted from strategically placed speakers.
The city’s action came after EBBLL filed suit against it in January, with the league alleging that the renovations would disrupt the 2024 season.
It remains unclear whether the city will try to intervene in Barwis’ contract on behalf of East Boynton Beach Little League now that Terrano’s contract has been terminated.
There have been no public announcements by city officials about the situation, the lawsuit by EBBLL, or Terrano’s ouster.
Terrano himself seemed subdued.
“I’m no angel, but my intentions were pure and from the heart,” Terrano said in a quiet voice. “I made a valid effort to do something positive for the community. It has cost me everything.”
Comments