Merced City Council picks nonprofit for youth center; NAACP is left out

Emotions ran high at Monday’s Merced City Council meeting, where the panel awarded the sole use of a youth center to a local soccer organization.

The council voted 5-2 to award a two-year lease allowing Merced Atlas Soccer Academy to use the Stephen Leonard Park Youth Center, declining to give the access to a new program from the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Councilmen Tony Dossetti and Josh Pedrozo cast the dissenting votes, saying the groups should be able to work out a shared plan.

Noting the high level of emotion in the back-and-forth debate from the groups, Councilman Mike Murphy compared the discussion to a family law hearing. “It feels like a custody proceeding,” he said.

In April, the city sought proposals from local nonprofits interested in running a program for young people inside the Stephen Leonard Park Youth Center. The city budgeted $7,500 to cover the building’s utilities for the year.

The city has had success in getting nonprofits to work together in the past year at the McNamara Park Youth Center. But Atlas and the NAACP were unable to come to an agreement.

Ultimately, it was Atlas’ “track record” that made up the difference, council members said. The soccer club has been around for 15 years and has more than 1,000 children enrolled in programs, according to Rosa Barragan, a parent who volunteers with Atlas.

“It’s more than just soccer, it’s about dreaming big,” Varragan said.

The organization plans to use the center for its soccer purposes, but also as a place to do homework. It will use the center for children younger than 5 during the day, according to Barragan.

Necola Adams, who is with the NAACP, said her organization wanted to open the Spirit of Excellence Academy in the center. The NAACP and 4-H would work together to offer a number of educational programs, she said, in hopes of preparing local children for a pathway to UC Merced.

“We know that not all kids play sports,” she said. “The ones who don’t are the ones who get left behind.”

During the meeting, Adams said the NAACP was willing to split time with Atlas so both groups would be able to use the building.

Barragan said Atlas was not willing to split time, saying that sharing the building would not work. “It’s easier said than done,” she said.

The members of City Council voiced disappointment that the two groups could not work out a plan, but ultimately awarded the center to Atlas anyway.

Mayor Stan Thurston said the decision was difficult but he preferred supporting the longtime academy to a new program. “It is just irresistible not to lean towards 15 years of success,” he said.

This story was originally published July 7, 2015 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Merced City Council picks nonprofit for youth center; NAACP is left out."