Sacramento Bee

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By Melody Gutierrez - Bee Staff Writer

Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D1

Basketball Town a long shot

Legal morass may doom facility despite offer of help for disabled.

A Yuba County elevator contractor wanted to get youth basketball camps back on the boards at Rancho Cordova's Basketball Town, so he offered to donate a lift that would open up access to disabled people and perhaps end a costly lawsuit.

An easy answer to Basketball Town's woes didn't look likely in the face of one lawsuit, but it seems virtually impossible because there are also two other suits with claims and counterclaims by tenants and owners of the 50,000-square-foot sports center.

"It's a huge mess," said Kim Dennis, the executive director and managing general partner of Basketball Town.

Last November, Derrick Ross of Suisun City filed a lawsuit under the Americans With Disabilities Act alleging that the facility did not have proper parking and that he was unable to get to an upstairs party with his nephew because there wasn't a lift. Ross, a quadriplegic, uses a motorized wheelchair.

"We never said they should close," said Paul Rein, an Oakland-based attorney for Ross.

Rein said his client is being made a scapegoat in a dispute between Basketball Town and its landlord.

"This is a matter of blaming the victim," said Rein, a veteran of lawsuits involving people with disabilities. "We seek to enforce existing law. Why people should be surprised or shocked by this, I don't know. It's not like the ADA has been a secret."

Among those named in Ross' lawsuit are Basketball Town; building landlord Hardcastle Trust; and Steven Feick, owner of Aladino's Pizza, which operates inside the facility.

Feick filed a cross-claim against Basketball Town in March seeking protection from any judgments against him in Ross' suit. Basketball Town then filed its own lawsuit in June against Hardcastle Trust, which is listed as the property owner.

Feick and the attorney for Hardcastle did not return The Bee's phone calls. In the past, Basketball Town officials said that Hardcastle gave assurances that Sacramento County inspectors had certified that the building was compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act because the same amenities were provided upstairs as downstairs.

Basketball Town's Dennis said the free lift likely won't be enough to solve the squabble because property owner Greg Hardcastle informed him that he was in talks with a non- basketball tenant.

"He's mad at us for suing him and the whole nine yards," Dennis said.

Elevator contractor Jerry Lawrence said a lawsuit against him inspired his offer of assistance. On Friday, he was found liable for deceptive business practices in a lawsuit filed by a disabled woman regarding the installation of an elevator.

So, when the Brownsville businessman learned this weekend that Basketball Town was planning to close because of a lawsuit involving access for disabled people, he jumped into his private plane, flew into Mather Airport to meet with Basketball Town officials and pledged to donate and install a wheelchair lift.

Lawrence estimated the lift would cost him $35,000. He said he has asked his manufacturer to donate the parts but has pledged to cover them either way.

"If we can keep them in there, that's what I need to do," Lawrence said Tuesday. "If they give me the go, it will take me about a month."

A handful of other people have tried to help, including Golden State Warriors forward Matt Barnes, a graduate of Del Campo High School.

"Matt reached out, but due to the legality of the situation, he was advised to step back," said Crystal Chodes, director of marketing for Basketball Town. "His intentions were honorable. There were other players that wished they could help, but it's scary and it's a touchy subject."

Legal fees for Basketball Town have reached an estimated $100,000, Chodes said. Basketball Town officials said in July that it might close down.

The final tournament was played over the weekend. Most of the Amateur Athletic Union tournaments that typically are played at Basketball Town will be moved to school sites.

Mike Walker of Showtime Hoops, which operates basketball camps and tournaments in Northern California, said what made Basketball Town great was its location, with players coming in from Reno to San Jose to Redding.

"There's not another facility of its kind to be able to do what Basketball Town did," Walker said. "It's a shame it's gone. It's a tragedy."

About the writer:

·        The Bee's Melody Gutierrez can be reached at (916) 326-5521 or mgutierrez@sacbee.com.