Neighbors Express Concerns Over Proposed Baseball Field

Sloppy paperwork and inaccurate design plans could cost Pony League baseball four new diamonds next to Meadow Ridge Elementary School in the Mead area.

Parents, angered by plans calling for adult-size diamonds, lighting and a concession stand, are fighting the proposal. Pony League supporters say they just made some mistakes.

Representatives on both sides of the debate met with the Mead School District board Tuesday. The school district owns the 10-acre field and was planning to lease it to the baseball group for a token payment before the neighborhood uproar.

The district withdrew its support for the project in April, but is now reconsidering and invited neighbors this week to offer comments. The school board is expected to announce its decision June 24.

“We’re not opposed to Pony League, but the level of trust has been compromised by the handling of this project,” said neighbor Sue Fisher.

Rick Gumke, representing the baseball group, agreed there were mistakes in the environmental report filed with Spokane County in January. “Saying there would be lighting was a major mistake,” he said. “If I lived in this neighborhood and saw that, I would have gone ballistic.”

In the meantime, neighbors have more worries, including increased traffic, noise, litter, the possible sale of beer.

A representative from the State Department of Ecology toured the field recently, classifying it as a low-level wetland.

Pony League baseball is a nonprofit organization for youngsters in kindergarten through eighth grade. No smoking or alcohol is allowed during games. The concession building, Gumke said, is for restrooms and to sell a “cheap family hot dog or popcorn.”

He said the 110-car parking lot they plan to build would be an advantage during school events such as back-to-school nights, open houses and fundraisers.

But the 30 or so neighbors at the meeting said using the field for league baseball would steal the quality of life they bought when they moved outside the city limits.

“I want to live in a housing development without a bunch of other stuff around,” said Stan Jenkins.

Leroy Deubler asked why the field is available for Pony League, but not for a neighborhood park. Al Swanson, assistant superintendent, said the need for more baseball diamonds was mentioned during an informal brainstorming session with Pony League supporters. The Meadow Ridge field was offered.

“In hindsight, this meeting with the neighborhood is something we should have done from the get-go. In my wildest dreams I didn’t imagine there would be so many concerns,” he said.

The school board was also surprised at the opposition.

“I had hoped for some common ground tonight,” said board member Tom Hunt.

“It’s obvious the neighborhood doesn’t want the fields there. We need to balance that with other community needs,” he said

“Maybe we entered into this naively,” said board member Mary Jane Thompson. “It looks like a great opportunity to provide fields for kids. The traffic is an issue, but there is also the luxury of having playfields across the street.”

“If they had posted a better application, they might have our support, but they did this very deceivingly,” said neighbor Jean E. Johnson.

, DataTimes