At a glance

New community-access hours at Patterson Community Stadium — subject to prior reservations by the school district, city or other groups — are as below. “Dusk” is determined to be the time when the sun sets behind the hills west of town.

• Monday through Friday: 6 to 7:30 a.m., 3 p.m. to dusk.

• Saturday and Sunday: 7 a.m. to dusk.

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Local residents will have more access to Patterson Community Stadium and its track and field after the City Council unanimously approved a new schedule of hours hammered out by city and school district staff.

The issue became heated Sept. 15, when the council voted 3-2 to make the second of two $150,000 contributions to the stadium’s renovation, despite residents’ worries that the facility had not been open to the public as often as initially promised by the Patterson Joint Unified School District.

The district promised during that meeting to convene with city staff to work out an expanded schedule, and the council approved that schedule at its Oct. 20 meeting.

Per that schedule, the stadium will be open from 6 to 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. to dusk on weekdays and from 7 a.m. to dusk on weekends. School activities and sporting events, as well as youth sports groups that often reserve the stadium, will take precedence over community access during public hours.

District Superintendent Patrick Sweeney said the condition of the track and artificial grass field will be a concern, as the new schedule will increase use while keeping supervision limited.

“We want the community to use the facility as much as possible, provided that the stadium is used responsibly,” Sweeney wrote in an e-mail to the Irrigator. “There will be less supervision under the new agreement. If there are issues, we will work them out with the city and other organizations (that use the stadium).”

The new agreement also states that the stadium will be open for the 2010 Apricot Fiesta fireworks show, a first since the renovation. Spectators had used the stadium in the past as a vantage point for the fireworks, but they were not allowed to do so the past two years because of the possibility of damaging the artificial grass surface with food, drinks or gum.

The city will be responsible for opening and closing the stadium on weekends and closing it on weekdays. It will not be responsible for litter removal or restroom maintenance, except when it reserves the stadium for its own use.

Annette Smith, the council member most vocally opposed to giving the district its money in September before having an agreement in writing, said she was pleased with the new schedule.

She also said she’d like to see security measures in place to allow stadium use after dark but acknowledged the difficulties associated with them — such as the costly use of lights to coincide with the installation of security cameras, which were once discussed but never added.

“I’m happy that we have something in writing that illustrates the agreement between the city and the district,” Smith said this week. “I think it’s a good start.”

• Contact James Leonard at 892-6187 or james@pattersonirrigator.com.