PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, OCTOBER 29, 2021
RFPs: ‘…it feels like we are
choosing the best of the worst’
Continued from page A1
the decision back.
The fi rst RFP, which will be dis-
cussed at the Nov. 1 city council meet-
ing, is to decide the next operator of
the Keizer Little League Park. The sec-
ond RFP, to be discussed at the Nov. 15
meeting, will decide the management
of the city sponsored summer concert
series at Keizer Rotary Amphitheater.
Keizer Little League Park
In February of this year, the city of
Keizer began soliciting proposals for a
10-year contract to manage and main-
tain Keizer Little League Park. The city
received two proposals in response.
One came from West Coast Premier
Tournaments and the other from For
the Love of the Game, a local non-profi t
created by Maverick League owners
Jerry and Lisa Walker.
The Walker’s initial proposal sug-
gested moving the Little League fi elds
from their current location to the
Volcanoes Stadium to create a sports
complex that “would easily hold 10-12
fi elds.” This proposal was never con-
sidered by the city, according to City
Attorney Shannon Johnson, as the RFP
was to operate the fi elds at their current
location. The Walkers were allowed
Mickey Walker, son of Jerry and Lisa
Walker, speaks in front of the Keizer City
Council during a Sept. 20 meeting
FILE PHOTO, Keizertimes
to submit a follow up proposal for the
fi elds at their current location.
In April, a committee of six city
councilors and city staff graded the two
proposals on a scale of one to fi ve points
on 12 diff erent areas. For the Love of the
Game was given a combined 243 points
out of 360 and the West Coast Premier
Tournaments was given 194 points.
While the committee suggested For the
Love of the Game, the scores suggested
that both proposals fell short.
“At this point it feels like we are
choosing the best of the worst,” said
Shane Diarmit, president of the Keizer
Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth leagues, at a
Sept. 20 council meeting. “I don’t know
about you, but that’s not what I want for
my kids, my organization or for my city.
I don’t want the best of the worst.”
Since the Sept. 20 meeting, during
which councilors shot down the
Walkers' contract provision to sell alco-
hol at the park during adult events, the