Whitefish City Council last week amended a long-term agreement with the Glacier Twins for use of Memorial Field, as well as a related agreement with Verizon Wireless.

In 2002, the city and the Glacier Twins American Legion baseball team signed a 55-year agreement for the stadium grounds at Memorial Field that requires the Twins to pay $1 per year in rent to the city beginning in January 2003. The initial lease is 25 years, and the Twins have the option to renew the lease for two consecutive, 15-year terms.   

City staff met with representatives of the Twins several times to discuss the changes and address some of the community’s concerns with the long-term lease agreement. 

“We were met with willingness from the Twins,” Whitefish City Attorney Angela Jacobs said at the meeting. “Unless the Twins were in breach of the agreement, they really didn’t have to sit down with us, and they were willing to do that, and I’d really like to acknowledge that.” 

One amendment to the lease agreement is that it can be renewed only with the written approval of both the city and the Twins.  

The city may terminate the lease if the Twins fail to use the property for “baseball or related programs” for more than one year. 

The city will no longer be required to inspect the property regularly, although Jacobs said the city may still inspect the property with 48 hours' notice. 

Another change clarified that the Twins have priority, the Whitefish School District second, and the general public third, regarding use of the property. The Twins are not required to sublet to organizations in direct competition with its program. 

The Twins are required to establish a schedule of fair and equitable rates to be charged for use of the property and an amendment caps the fee they charge the school district to an amount that covers the costs of utilities, maintenance and repairs for damage. 

Councilor Steve Qunell asked who assesses the damage and determines the amount needed to fix it. Councilor Andy Feury asked who would determine what is fair and equitable regarding rates. 

Whitefish City Manager Dana Meeker said that when the Twins submit the annual report to the Park Board, it will include a list of subleases and rates charged for each. 

“It’s going to give the Park Board an opportunity to look at the past year’s subleases and question any that seem out of touch,” Meeker said. 

In 2013, the city gave permission to Verizon Wireless to install a cellular antenna on a light pole at Memorial Park, with lease revenue earmarked for the Glacier Twins.  

An amendment to the memorandum of understanding from 2022 says the Twins receive 78% of the Verizon funds, a percentage that was based on the leased Memorial Park area. The funds must be used for maintenance of Memorial Field. The remaining 22% are used by the city for park maintenance.    

The agreement was amended in November and includes a lower cell tower rent, so the amount the city disburses to the Twins was reduced and is about $20,000. 

The memorandum of understanding was amended so the term of the agreement aligns with the license agreement. 

Rather than give the Twins one lump sum each year, the city will hold the Verizon funds and distribute them to the Twins upon written request accompanied by invoices. 

The amendments also obligate the Twins to provide the city with a copy of its tax returns each year. 

The Park Board recommended approval of the amendments. 

Johanna Muller, Glacier Twins board member, said it has opened its books to the city and welcomes changes to the lease. She said it has been a difficult year for the organization. 

“We are willing to work with the Park Board. If you’re concerned about oversight, we are open to adjusting as we go through the next year,” Muller said. “We spent a lot of time with the city learning about in kind accounting, learning about things that, as volunteers, some of us just didn’t know in the past. 

“But what I can tell you is, nobody is stealing money,” she added. 

Twins board member Mark Voelker said Memorial Field was built by the Glacier Twins.  

“None of the infrastructure there is, in any way, part of the city and so we, as Twins board members, have to protect our investment in it,” Voelker said, adding that the Twins have offered to let the high school team play there each year and have never charged more than an at cost fee. 

Resident Jeff Dalen said he would like an agreement that allows the high school team to use Memorial Field on an at- cost basis. 

Resident and Glacier Twins alumni Ray Queen questioned several comments made by Glacier Twins officials in a Whitefish Pilot news article last week, including in-kind dollar amounts, the cost of electricity and water, and the idea that the field should not be used for players who don’t fundraise for the field. 

“Youth sports infrastructure should serve kids, not organizations,” he said. “This is not about tearing anyone down. It’s about restoring fairness, transparency and shared access.” 

Former Twins coach Julio Delgado asked what qualifies as a related program and the meaning of fair and equitable.  

“It’s not rocket science and it’s not Yankee Stadium,” he said.