City Councilman ready to pitch new baseball plan

By Traci Chapman/Staff Writer
published Jan. 3, 2008

RELATED STORY: Proposal sparks questions

Ward 1 Councilman Jay Adams is spearheading the effort to “give residents the full picture” on a possible $2.8 million bond issue that would finance new baseball fields.

Voters shot down a previous $4.5 million proposal in December 2006. The new proposal has been scaled back, Parks and Recreation Director Justin Battles said. One field and most of the soccer complex was cut, and changes were made to the concession stand and restrooms. Total proposed cost for the now six-field project is just under $2.8 million.

Battles said while new soccer fields are not included in the bond proposal, it does not mean they have been scrapped from the project.
“We have determined that if we can get the vote to move forward with the baseball complex, we should be able to find a way to do the soccer fields internally,” Battles said.

Adams, who coached baseball for six years, said it is hard to forget his players’ reaction to Mustang’s “shameful home fields” during his tenure as coach.

“First there’s the smell. It’s pretty bad when you look at your kids, and they’re all holding their noses because of the smell,” he said. “Then — what’s worse — is when the wind is coming from the wrong direction, you actually get spray from the wastewater ponds. That’s not just unpleasant, it must be unhealthy for our players and their coaches.”

Adams said he has a plan to overcome voter resistance to the idea — giving the most detailed information possible — and he is going to take his show “on the road” so he can speak to as many residents as possible about the need for new fields.

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