Lakeville youth baseball league asks town to let volunteers repair Ted Williams fields and seeks fee relief

Andy Burnap, president of the Freetown Lakeville Athletic Association, told the Lakeville Parks Commission that the Ted Williams fields have deteriorated to a "borderline safety concern," citing uneven infields, poor drainage, protruding home plates and spotty lighting that affect play and increase injury risk. "The continued deterioration of the playing surfaces have become a borderline safety concern," Burnap said, and asked the commission "to allow us to partner with the town on field cleanup and repairs" while seeking relief from a near-threefold increase in field-usage fees.

Burnap and other FLAA leaders said the league—which they said currently enrolls more than 300 children—can provide volunteer labor, some materials and grant-writing support if the town will permit league crews and contractors to work on the fields. "Use us to leverage the families of our 300 plus children as volunteer manpower," Burnap said, and "rely on the experience of our board" to facilitate improvements. FLAA vice president Justin Barricchione described prior attempts to bring trucks…