Local Sports

By JOE BUIE
Staff Writer

Robert E. Lee and John Tyler high schools play their baseball games at historic Mike Carter Field.

The two local Little League baseball organizations — Rose Capital West and Rose Capital East — have ample room and good facilities at Faulkner Park and Golden Road Park, respectively.

The Tyler Fastpitch Association, which provides girls 3 1/2 to 18 years of age the opportunity to play softball, has conducted its business at the controversial Fun Forest Park since the league’s inception in 2000.

Fun Forest is also where John Tyler and Lee play their softball games.

The two softball fields — including the concession stand and bathrooms — as well as Tyler Fastpitch, are in decline.

Anthony Springer, president of the TFA, is at the end of his rope. He says the softball girls desperately need a new home — a safer and bigger home — to grow the league.

Springer said they had 23 teams for their spring season, down from 30 just a few years ago.

Less than two weeks ago, Springer thought a temporary solution had been found.

Starting next season, if not earlier, the TFA would “borrow” the three big fields at Faulkner Park — two of which are used by the older baseball players who comprise the Junior and Senior leagues of Rose Capital West. The other big field is used for practice.

“A week ago Thursday, John Webb (director of the Tyler Parks and Recreation Department) called and told me they were going to take those fields and turn them into softball fields beginning this fall and we couldn’t use them,” said Charlie Rippy, vice president of Rose Capital West. “(The city) said we could play our games (at Golden Road), also, which wouldn’t be practical.”

Springer was so excited that he wrote on the TFA’s Web site: “After eight years of uncertainty and many years of frustration regarding our fields, security and playing conditions … Tyler Fastpitch will have a new temporary home (Faulkner Park). … These three fields were being underutilized and would help solve our issues.

“The master plan is to still have a girls softball complex, but this will be the solution until then. These fields will allow us to hold tournaments and help our league to grow to the next level.”

Rippy said moving his Junior and Senior games to Golden Road Park would conflict with Rose Capital East, which has only two big fields. He added that the plan would have jeopardized the Texas East State Tournament held every July at Faulkner Park.

After that Thursday phone call, Rippy met with the rest of the West board members. Afterward, the Little League parents were encouraged to let the city know they disagreed with the decision.

Following the backlash, Springer was informed that there was no deal.

As a result, Mayor Barbara Bass is organizing a group of league officials and Parks and Recreation Board members to try to find a solution that works for both sides. The group will be led by Councilman Steve Smith, whose 12-year-old daughter plays girls’ fastpitch softball and whose son played Little League baseball for 10 years.

“There has been a multitude of ideas thrown around over the past couple of years,” Smith said. “We want to get everyone with a vested interest to the table to come up with the best plan.”

Through the group, the city hopes to come up with a plan that will allow both groups to have quality playing fields without having to cut programs to do so.

“Rest assured that any solution that is reached will not force the cessation of any youth programs in the city of Tyler,” said Ms. Bass, in a written statement. “Providing venues, programs and resources for youth programming has been, and will continue to be, a priority for the city.”

The first stakeholder group meeting will likely take place within the next two weeks, Smith said. He said the city had already started looking at options in regard to the playing fields two to three years ago, and they met with league officials regarding Faulkner Park’s fields in 2007.

Walter Wilhelmi, who has coached in the softball league for seven years, hasn’t given up on Fun Forest.

He said one option for softball is to stay at Fun Forest under a plan to build a “couple of fields once the old Ramey (elementary) school is torn down,” Wilhelmi said. “That was on the table three years ago.”

Wilhelmi added that the Parks Department has approved land at Lindsey Park for a four-field softball complex, but he termed the plan “cost prohibitive.”

The current Lindsey Park softball complex is used by the city’s Adult Softball League from March until August.

The parties first attempted to reach a temporary solution last fall with the evaluation of three small practice fields at Faulkner Park, Wilhelmi said. The plan was to convert the three fields into two softball fields along with a concession stand. However, the city determined it would be impossible to make it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“It’s too small to get two new fields, concession and restrooms,” Wilhelmi said.

The parties met again in March and that’s when the softball league asked about the availability of the three big fields at Faulkner. After debating that issue, the dialogue stopped, Wilhelmi said.

Springer said his No. 1 issue with Fun Forest Park is safety.

He said the environment is not family friendly. He said part of the trouble stems from basketball games being played adjacent to the two softball fields (Tony Myers and Andy Woods) and the T-ball area.

He said some of the softball players have been harassed, and the parents have had to endure foul language.

“We get guys cruising, selling dope in here, smoking pot,” Springer said. “It’s been hard to get an officer to walk the park.

“Sometimes it’s pleasant.”

Springer also pointed out how the two fields are second-rate.

Tony Myers Field, used by the two public high schools, is terribly uneven.

Springer said a survey crew determined that there is a six-foot difference between the highest point in left field and lowest point in right field. There is also a three-foot drop from home plate to the outfield.

Andy Woods Field is not regulation size — the outfield fence is short by 25 feet.

“The fact is there are, I believe, 18 fields in the city of Tyler for baseball. We’re just asking to borrow three fields until the city can come up with a final answer and get us out of the element we’re in now and allow us to grow,” Springer said.

Staff writer Cindy Mallette contributed to this story.

IN DECLINE: A wall full of scratches and holes is seen at the Fun Forest Park concession stand and public restrooms on Friday.
((Staff Photo By Joe Buie))