Townsend youth baseball says fields are stretched; requests room for four more diamonds

Townsend youth baseball leaders reported to the Broadwater County Parks and Recreation Board on Aug. 18 that growing participation has strained existing fields and that the program needs a minimum of four additional diamonds to meet current and near-term demand.

Gary Bowman, high school baseball coach and member of the youth baseball board, and John Blyley, president of the Townsend Youth Baseball board, told the board the program currently fields about 17–18 teams and that participation ranged from roughly 216 players (youth-only count) to about 230 if high-school players are included. "That's really where it comes down to the issue," Bowman said, adding the league is managing practices and games across two primary fields, occasional overflow at Conners Field, and ad hoc practice spaces.

Blyley and Bowman described scheduling pressure: teams practice multiple evenings per week, minors/majors and Babe Ruth teams travel for tournaments, and t-ball and rookie divisions have condensed schedules. The leaders said the program's solution set includes: building at least three Little League-size fields (about 200-foot fences) and one Babe Ruth/high-school-size field (about 300-foot fences), extending existing McCarthy Park fields where possible, and considering multiuse fields as interim space.

Board discussion centered on how the master plan concepts interact with the Rod and Gun Club and golf-course proposals. Several board members said Concept 3 from the county master plan is the likeliest fit if the Rod and Gun Club remains on its current site and the golf course proceeds with its clubhouse/driving-range plan; that layout would provide space for one set of fields but not the full four-field complement youth baseball says it needs. Participants also discussed Centerville property as a potential site, but noted it is partly in floodplain and lacks irrigation or water rights; staff said well permits and irrigation infrastructure would be required for any full-scale baseball conversion.

Bowman and Blyley described fundraising, volunteer maintenance and a pending memorandum of understanding with the city to share upkeep costs; they said the league has used grants, donations and in-kind labor and runs concessions to support operations. They also said some interim measures—portable mounds, additional batting cages and scheduling coordination—have helped but cannot replace permanent diamond capacity.

The board did not vote on a site or commit funding; members requested continued coordination among the parks-and-rec planning process, the golf course, the Rod and Gun Club and county staff to identify feasible locations and phased approaches.