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Meridian Youth Baseball & Softball tells council it runs large volunteer league, seeks continued partnership on fields and parking
Summary
Volunteers said Meridian Youth Baseball & Softball serves more than 2,100 participants, operates 184 teams, contributes an estimated $1.3 million in volunteer time and is seeking continued partnership with Parks & Rec and the city on Settlers Park improvements and parking solutions.
Leaders of Meridian Youth Baseball & Softball (MYBS) presented a detailed update to the Meridian City Council on Jan. 14, describing league operations, volunteer support, field improvements and concerns about parking and umpire shortages.
League representatives told the council the nonprofit serves roughly 2,100 young athletes across 184 teams and relies entirely on volunteers and donations. Treasurer David Lang said volunteers’ time — including board work and field prep — equates to the value of many full-time employees and estimated the combined volunteer time at about $1.3 million annually.
MYBS officials described several recent and planned facility improvements at Settlers Park and other sites, including field restoration at Meridian Bridal School, new turf in front of pitching mounds, additional batting cages, shade structures for concession stands, backstop padding, dugout fencing, and plans for dugout covers. They also described lot and neighborhood parking problems during tournaments and said they are implementing a board-member-on-duty system, expanded signage and outreach to reduce parking in nearby neighborhoods.
The league explained how it addresses an umpire shortage by running an in-house umpire training program that recruits 12-plus youth who can learn to officiate, allowing the league to reduce paid umpire costs. Officials said hiring outside umpires would roughly double the per-game umpire cost and that their program helps keep participation fees lower for families.
Council members thanked MYBS leaders and city parks staff for the partnership and asked about fee impacts, scholarships and potential revenue options. MYBS said current registration fees run $160–$195 depending on timing; the group estimates the proposed parking contribution modeled at $55,000 per year would have increased fees by about $15–$20 per player, but the board plans to offset that through concessions, tournaments and sponsorships and hoped to avoid raising fees.
Council members and city staff encouraged continued coordination on parking as the community center and future parking improvements move forward, and several council members praised the league’s volunteer model as a community asset.
