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Presenter urges solutions for parking, concessions and field upgrades at Fletcher park
Summary
Presenters from a local youth baseball organization told the council a community survey showed parking shortages, limited concession offerings and near-capacity field use; they proposed sponsor support, batting cages and targeted repairs and said registration opens Jan. 1.
S1, a presenter for the town’s youth baseball program, told the council the group conducted a survey of fall-season participants and wants “to create the best possible experience for everyone.” The presenters described chronic parking shortages during games and said families with multiple children and wagons often struggle to find spaces.
Why it matters: The presenters said the program served a large number of households and uses town fields heavily; council members said that broad usage raises questions about whether townwide capital spending is justified when many players come from outside Fletcher.
The presenters and residents discussed several short- and longer-term options. S2 said she had spoken with the concession-stand operator, "Roy," and encouraged organizers to approach him directly about adding food options or adjusting hours. S3 backed adding practice infrastructure, saying, “I’m a huge fan of the batting cages,” and suggested a dual-use pavilion with slide-out cages so the space could host events as well as practices.
Presenters gave three pieces of program context: they said they "served 390 households," that 85 of those households were located inside Fletcher and that bringing all fields up to standard would cost “around $600,000” for the fields discussed. Presenters and council members suggested sponsorships, small grants (presenters mentioned pursuing modest grants such as $20,000 awards) and corporate donations as possible funding paths; S2 recommended reaching out to corporate sponsors to underwrite improvements or place naming rights on fields.
On operations, presenters said volunteers run the concession stand and that volunteer recruitment remains a challenge — they noted losing board members as children age out and asked the council and community to help recruit coaches and volunteers. S1 said the group will share the survey results with Roy and that registration for the spring season opens Jan. 1.
What’s next: Staff (S6) and council members encouraged the presenters to continue outreach to sponsors and to coordinate with county and school partners about off-site practice fields. The council will consider CIP requests as part of its upcoming budget process.
