The future of Orillia Legion Minor Baseball’s (OLMB) indoor training facility, The Fieldhouse, remains uncertain at best.
In early December, the landlord of the facility locked OLMB out of the building located at 53 Jamieson Dr. in Oro-Medonte Township.
Entering its third year of operation, The Fieldhouse had proven to be popular with local athletes and teams from all over the region. But, concerns about player safety were recently raised when township building officials learned about how the industrial building - in an industrial park off Highway 11 - was being used.
“The main issue is really safety," said Oro-Medonte Mayor Harry Hughes. "Connected with safety is liability, and it’s been determined that the building's use by OLMB is not a permitted use."
Hughes says once the township learned about the baseball facility, they had to act.
“Really, it’s a matter of the township knowing about this, and once we know about it, we are obligated to look after the best interest of the public, look after safety, and the interests of the public in terms of liability as well," said Hughes.
"I believe that’s the same position the owner of the building has been placed in. He probably feels the same way, but at the same time has to make sure his building is safe, and he has to have someone with the credentials to validate that in case something does happen,” he said.
In fact, the township's chief building official told the landlord that for a training facility to be housed in the building, a "life safety study" had to be completed. When the OLMB balked at paying for such a study, the landlord locked OLMB out of the facility.
Hughes says he feels for OLMB and hopes they can work out the situation with the building’s landlord and the township.
“Baseball is my favourite sport. I coached a team in Oro-Medonte that won an Ontario title. So I really commend the whole organization of OLMB, I know they are all volunteers who do great things for kids. From my perspective and from the township's perspective, we’d like to support them in every way that we can,” he said.
In a previous OrilliaMatters article, OLMB president Wes Winkel was quoted as saying Dr. Michael Weinberg, who is a part of the building’s ownership group, has intentionally made it difficult for OLMB to stay in their lease. Weinberg says that is not the case.
“We have sent multiple emails to them (OLMB), to our sublets, and to the township saying that it’s a very valuable part of the community and would love to support it,” he said.
“After the township came to us, we told them (OLMB) in order to occupy you need to have an architect come do a life safety study and they refused to do that, they still refuse to do it.”
Winkel has said the volunteer organization cannot afford the study, which could have a $40,000 price tag. He thinks the building's owners should foot the bill.
Weinberg says OLMB sublets from landlord Robert Devries. When OLMB renewed their sub-lease agreement for two years, Weinberg says he was not notified.
“Our tenants are required by their lease to ask us in order to sublet from us; it’s in the master document, and they went ahead without doing that,” he said.
“They did so after OLMB was informed that the township requested a life safety plan in order to operate. They knew about it in March of 2020, and when they were told about it again, they refused to do it. They still refuse to do it," said Weinberg.
"They had a building inspector come in who said there are a bunch of things that would need to be done to satisfy a life safety study and one of them is a firewall between the baseball and the machines,” Weinberg explained, referring to the industrial use in the other part of the building.
Weinberg says he is concerned with the safety of OLMB players and that is why OLMB has been asked by Devries to cease operations until a health study is conducted.
“There are kids in there with machines, and they refuse to put up a firewall. It’s all about safety. In the end, it’s all about the kids,” he said.
OLMB doesn't disagree, but league officials have said they don't believe they should have to foot the bill. Weinberg seems to agree. He says Devries should be responsible for the safety study if they choose to facilitate OLMB. He also says he has no financial advantage in the situation.
Winkel says the Township of Oro-Medonte has not yet ordered Devries to cease OLMB operations inside The Fieldhouse.
“We were told there was no stoppage and there was no need to do a health study immediately,” he said.
“Although there was no stoppage ordered or confirmed by the mayor, we are still illegally locked out," Winkel lamented.
Winkel says OLMB has met all lease requirements and should be allowed to continue operations until Weinberg and Devries determine who should be responsible for the health safety study.
“We’ve been playing in there for three years. Why did they not do this at the start? There has been no change to anybody’s use,” he said.
“In March 2020 they sent us an email to say a life safety study may be required, not that we would have to pay for it, or we would need to take care of doing it," explained Winkel.
"It was a part of a bulk email of things that might need to be required like fire extinguishers and things like that. We were never told we have to pay for it, or we would be locked out."
Devries said he feels caught in the middle.
"I'm not standing in their way, and I'm also not the one with the ultimatum. I'm caught in the middle," he said.
"I certainly share the objective of OLMB to support the community and provide these activities to our youth. There is currently no similar facility and there is a demand for it. I will do everything in my ability to help them pursue those interests," Devries told OrilliaMatters.
Winkel says he is looking for a new home for the facility but has struck out to date.
“We can’t find an adequate place to move to. We’ve had lots of leads, but they are either not big enough or not clear span space,” he said.
If anyone knows of an available space that is at least 100 feet long by 60 feet wide of clear-span space contact OLMB.
