By Debby Woodin

dwoodin@joplinglobe.com

The Joplin City Council on Monday night approved Joplin Athletic Complex as the formal name for the new sports complex, and gave the city staff the go-ahead to present ordinances that would appropriate staffing and set fees for use.

The council voted informally 7-1 to establish that name for the $6 million sports park rather than calling it the Joplin Sports Complex or Miner’s Field.

Councilman Benjamin Rosenberg suggested Miner’s Field, citing Joplin’s mining heritage.

Councilman Phil Stinnett voted against the name Joplin Athletic Complex. Mayor Pro Tem Mike Woolston was not present at the time to vote because he was asked by Mayor Gary Shaw to attend a reception saluting departing school Superintendent Jim Simpson on behalf of the city.

Before discussing the operational plan for the complex, the council heard from the designers of the park’s fields in regard to concerns that have been expressed about the orientation of the baseball field and the slope of the soccer fields.

A Joplin baseball coach attended an earlier meeting and said he believed the field was designed incorrectly in that the batter and catcher in games would be playing with the sun in their eyes.

The engineers told the council that they used a chart that shows the angle of the sun in relation to the orientation of the field. They said the sun would be northwest of home plate when it is lowest in the sky and would not interfere with the catcher’s or batter’s vision.

They said it could slightly affect the third-base area, but that many more plays are made at first base than third.

They also said they used reference material to establish a slope for the soccer field drainage so the fields would not retain water.

Some of the council members told the engineers, from the Kansas City firm of Bucher, Willis & Ratliff, that they will reserve judgment on whether the fields are built correctly until after they see how the fields are accepted by players and coaches.

The council also agreed informally to have ordinances drafted that would approve a proposed staffing plan and fee schedule for the athletic park.

Several council members questioned whether the proposed staffing would be enough people to adequately operate and maintain the park.

The plan calls for the addition of one full-time employee and three part-time workers, and an increased level of supervisory authority for one person in the parks department. It would cost an estimated $62,000 in annual payroll to start those added positions.