Fresno has terminated its lease with the Central Valley Community Sports Foundation (CVCSF) for unpaid bills.
That ends a nine-year relationship with Granite Park operator Terance Frazier, who oversaw events at the complex since the nonprofit inked the 25-year lease in 2015.
The big picture: The City of Fresno announced Wednesday that it will no longer be subsidizing CVCSF’s operations at Granite Park.
- Fresno notified Granite Park in May of many defaults that needed to be dealt with, totaling over $1.3 million owed to the city.
- Fresno said Wednesday that CVCSF owes $708,000 in back rent, $263,000 in PG&E bills, $151,000 in water and sewer fees and $181,000 in billboard revenue.
What we’re watching: All existing agreements in place for the park’s baseball and soccer fields will continue to be honored by the city.
- Anyone interested in scheduling an event at Granite Park can do so through the city directly by calling (559) 621-5366 or email at ReserveGP@fresno.gov.
Go deeper: According to the termination letter, which was signed by City Manager Georgeanne White, CVCSF had 10 days after the May notice to pay the back rent and 30 days to deal with the other bills.
- “The City sent the default letter on May 17, 2024, and you failed to cure any of the defaults, putting you in breach of the Ground Lease and granting the City the immediate right to terminate the Ground Lease and possess the Premises,” the letter reads.
- Frazier is required to vacate Granite Park and surrender possession of the premises to the city within three days of receiving the letter. If not, the city said it will file a lawsuit against Frazier.
The backstory: Frazier and CVCSF has had a controversial history with the city throughout his time operating Granite Park.
- The city conducted an audit into Granite Park’s financials in 2018 after CVCSF – then led by Frazier and former Congressman TJ Cox (D–Fresno), asked the city to double the $150,000 annual payment that he was receiving to operate the complex.
- Frazier responded by filing a lawsuit against the city in 2020, claiming the audit was inaccurate and discriminatory against him.
- One year later, Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp announced her office had concerns about potential Brown Act violations surrounding a $4.3 million settlement with Frazier that the Fresno City Council was set to vote on. While she later cleared the city council of any Brown Act violations, the city never moved forward with the settlement.
- In 2022, Cox was indicted by Federal authorities on felony fraud charges including, among other things, fraudulently securing a $1.4 million loan that Cox secured for CVCSF to fund its re-build of Granite Park in 2016. To secure the loan, Cox produced phony loan guarantee documents from a for-profit company he ran.
