Face Time: Dan Peck
Little League leader talks about his group’s plans to construct a ballfield complex in northwest Spokane
Dan Peck, president of Spokane North Little League, is leading an effort to build nine to 12 ballfields on a section of the old Northside Landfill along Indian Trail Road. Neighbors of the site are opposing a plan by the city to lease the land to Little League for their $4 million project.
Q. What is Spokane North Little League?
A. We started with three Little Leagues – West Plains, Spokane South and Spokane North Little Leagues. We’re members of the national Little League organization. This is our sixth year of play.
Q. What is your organization proposing?
A. We are looking for seven fields for baseball and two fields for softball. The other three fields would be very small. They will be for our disabled players.
Q. What has the city’s role been, and were there any deals?
A. The city put out an RFP (request for proposals), and we were the only ones to bid on it. Their role has been just as kind of a facilitator. It’s really pretty much our direction to get this accomplished. There really were no deals or anything. One thing I am adamant against is doing any backdoor deals.
Q. How long will it take to develop?
A. I expect it to take around three years. It could take longer depending on how hard it is to raise money. This isn’t a prime economy to try to fundraise in. The money would come primarily from donations and grants.
Q. What is the need?
A. Right now between North and Mead, we have a little over 1,100 players. The problem we have now is we play mainly on elementary school fields, and those are basically multipurpose fields for the school districts. At Willard Elementary, they have track grooves that run through the center of both their baseball fields. You get a lot of bad hops; kids are tripping in the ruts.
Q. How do you deal with neighborhood concerns?
A. Our plan for these fields is not to have any traffic going through the neighborhood. It’s all going to come in off Indian Trail Road. We feel with staggered game starting times – 5:45, 6, 6:15 - we can alleviate the traffic on Indian Trail because people would be coming in at different times and leaving at different times. The lighting is very directional with very little spillover into the neighborhood. There will be no parking in the neighborhood.
Q. Why are you involved in this?
A. I have always been an advocate for getting better fields and a better-run baseball organization here in town.