ST. PARIS – The village council discussed renewing a lease agreement for land used by the Graham Youth Athletic Association (GYAA) during a work session held on Monday.

No action was taken on approving a lease as council discussed the details of the agreement with GYAA president Adam Jenkins.

Mayor Brenda Cook said council was provided with a copy of the 1994 agreement and amended 2008 agreement between the association and the village.

Jenkins said the association is looking for a renewal agreement while still looking to make improvements to the ballpark. He noted the lack of parking has been an issue, forcing people to use the old junior high parking lot, 370 E. Main St.

When asked about improvements within the next 10 years, Jenkins cited fixes for fences, sheds and other upkeep needs.

Cook called the association an asset for the community, noting 315 children participated in youth baseball and softball last year. She suggested potentially having a council member on the GYAA’s board similar to how a council member is on the JSP Fire District board.

After some discussion, council asked village administrator Spencer Mitchell to negotiate the agreement before they vote on it.

JSP Year in Review

JSP Fire District Chief Scott Massie provided council with the year in review report for 2018.

During last year, Massie said JSP responded to 138 fire runs and 740 EMS runs. Massie noted the number of fire runs was considerably low compared to recent years.

In 2018, JSP responded to 25 structure fires, three combine fires, two vehicle fires, 64 vehicle accidents, four grass fires and 15 fire alarms.

For EMS runs, 452 patients were transported including six via CareFlight and JSP saw a total of 687 patients.