Painesville Little League is preparing to return to the concession stand at Kiwanis Recreation Park a little more than two months after it publicly raised concerns that it would lose access to the stand. Under a agreement recently approved by Painesville City Council, the league will continue operat ing the stand from April 1 to Aug. 15 this year. While the copy of the agreement posted to the city’s website states that the league needs to provide minimum staffing from 5 to 8 p.m. on game days, officials said at council’s March 31 meeting that the league and city staff had agreed to longer initial hours. Assistant City Manager Tony Zampedro said the starting plan is for the league to staff the stand from 4 to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Those hours can be expanded or reduced depending on demand. “They are committed to seeing what the demand is down there, possibly even Sundays to be open,” Zampedro said. “So, we certainly support them. We do want to see our other patrons in the park able to have the concession available to them, and it’s certainly to Little League’s benefit because they certainly stand to make a fair amount of money.” Painesville Public Lands and Recreation Director Michelle LaPuma said that she is comfortable with the contract’s terms. The league will provide her a report two weeks after the contract ends with information on profit, loss and hours of operation. The league is set to keep all profits from the stand. Councilwoman Lori DiNallo was previously involved with the league and discussed the importance of those funds. “The concession stand was really, probably their major fundraiser, and so I think this is a great opportunity even to enhance that for themselves and have a bigger fundraiser for themselves,” DiNallo said. “And of course, more importantly, making sure that we serve all of the public that are down there and using the area is important for the city.” According to LaPuma, the city is holding off on other concession options to give the league a chance to be successful. “If Little League is going to be there, then that’s not fair that there’s a food truck there,” she said. Painesville Little League President Rob Boehm described the agreement as a “win-win.” He feels that the agreement can be successful and that the league will be able to meet the city’s requests. It also lets the league know what it needs to do to continue operating the stand in future years. “We may come together at the end of the season and need to make further adjustments for 2026, but at least we know exactly what is expected and we are up for the challenge,” he said in an email. Boehm said that the league looks forward to serving the public this season. It intends to offer chicken sandwiches, mozzarella sticks, jalapeno peppers, corn dogs, hot dogs, nachos, jumbo pickles, foods from local Painesville restaurants and other items. Little League players will receive free treats. If the concession stand proves lucrative for the league, Zampedro said that the city could look to get paid in the future. “Right now, this is a very good agreement,” he said. “It allows them to come in, run it, win or lose, they’re taking that risk.” The agreement came after Boehm and two other speakers addressed council in early February, expressing concerns that the city would turn to an outside vendor and remove the league from the stand. Council expressed support for keeping the league in the concession stand later that month. Though the process was “uncomfortable” at times, Boehm said that “the system worked exactly as it should.” “We encountered something we did not like, we informed our representatives and appealed to be heard at the City Council level,” he said. “City Council allowed us to address the issue and then considered the situation – ultimately allowing us to operate the stand for 2025 but also affording us the opportunity to sit down and discuss the nitty gritty details with the administration. “The administration allowed us to come in and meet with them and formulate a plan together,” Boehm added. “Not every detail is exactly what either party wanted 100 percent but we worked together and came to an agreement.” ...read more read less