THE GREAT SOFTBALL FIELD MYSTERY
	AS WE UNDERSTAND IT, it all started with a bond issue (approved by the Albany voters) for the purpose of seismic upgrades and renovations to the Albany city goverment offices, including the fire and police stations. THE QUESTION THEN AROSE as to where to locate these offices and facilities. And the city staff was tasked with finding temporary quarters to house themselves, plus the police and fire personal and equipment, for roughly 2 years while the renovations were completed. HOWEVER THIS TASK turned out ot be harder than expected. Golden Gate Fields was approached, since they have plenty of space these days. But GG Fields is zoned recreational, and while it is well known that city employees do enjoy their jobs very much, and that some City Council members laugh and smile a lot these days, a legal determination was made that running a city like Albany could not be considered a recreational activity within the meaning of the zoning ordinance.  So it was feared that placement of the offices at the track might run into trouble as a non- conforming use.
		A WILD RUMOR THEN CIRCULATED that, with no suitable place seemingly available, the renovations would simply be abandoned and the entire bond funds would be diverted to buying  public art with statues everywhere.  But this rumor proved to be absolutely false, and anyway, it is clear that Albany voters would not have stood for this course of action. BUT NOW THE PLOT THICKENS in that somehow a proposal crept its way onto the City Council Agenda for January 5, to consider placing at least the fire and police facilities on Albany's Little League ball fields at Memorial and/or Ocean View parks.  And then e-mails began appearing on the computer screens of Little League and soccer program managers and advocates. Predictably, these folks showed up in strength at the meeting and through their stirring oratory (some might say "withering barrage" of objections) reality finally began to set in. So in the end, the Council wound up voting unanimously to drop its own hot potato proposal, and revert to the plan (already well under-way) to restore the ball fields. But who actually placed this insensitive non-starter of a proposal on the agenda? Did the city staff suggest this to the Council in the name of "thoroughness"?  Or did some Council member slip it in there?  In short, how did such an insensitive non-starter of a proposal get as far as a City Council meeting?  And therein lies our mystery! PLEASE NOTE: As members of the Fouth Estate and in keeping with our high journalistic standards, it is merely our job to ask the questions.  The answers, dear readers, are up to you.