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Parents urge board to lease Roadrunner fields to SMASH baseball to preserve community play
Summary
Two parents and SMASH volunteers asked the Paradise Valley board to lease Roadrunner fields to SMASH (Shadow Mountain Area Sports Home) and to allow the group to replace degraded lighting, arguing the lease would support community cohesion and maintain youth sports opportunities at no cost to the district.
Two parents representing local youth sports groups urged the Paradise Valley Unified School District Governing Board to lease the Roadrunner fields to SMASH (Shadow Mountain Area Sports Home) so local baseball and softball programs can continue using and improving the fields.
Erin McDonald, vice president of the Mercury Mine PTG and a longtime volunteer, told the board that SMASH could replace lights damaged by weather and would maintain community access to play. "I would like the board to consider leasing the fields to SMASH baseball," McDonald said.
Ashley Stokes, a SMASH board member and parent of three PV Schools students, described how the league helped her family reconnect with the community after COVID, and said volunteers have already invested time and labor in field repairs. Both speakers urged the board to approve a lease that would allow SMASH to invest in field infrastructure "at no cost to you," McDonald said.
The comments were made during the public‑comment period; no board action occurred at the meeting. The board acknowledged the requests and did not take immediate action; staff follow‑up was not specified in the public record.
Speakers appeared to represent volunteer organizations rather than district staff; the board did not schedule a decision on the lease during this meeting.
