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 Darren Doyle, story: Parks and Rec Program Administrator Greg Hudson said the park was dealing with some vandalism at HWY 70 park with broken bathroom doors and some field damage that happened Sunday on field 2. Hudson said that multiple people had tried to play on the field while the ground was far too wet. Deep footprints, tracks, and pits around home plate will have to be repaired as soon as it's dry enough to do so, according to Hudson. He also said there was damage at the pitcher's mound. "Most people don't think much about footprints, but we've already been working on the fields as the season had already begun," he said. "These deep footprints dry and they have to be leveled back out. The area around home plate now has huge pits and the mound will need extensive repair. There's a reason we don't allow people on the field when the ground is wet. You can hurt yourself and damage the field." He said no practices had been scheduled for Sunday, so the field useage came from someone other than a league team. Hudson said at least for now, Field 2 will be locked from the public's use until further notice. Youth baseball league coaches and their teams under supervision, board members, and Parks and Rec employees will be the only ones with access to the field. The bathrooms at HWY 70 near field 3 (the hill) have broken bathroom doors and Hudson said someone had used the bathroom in spite of there being no water service at the time. It was an incident that he described as very messy and someone at the park has to clean it up and repair the doors. "We hate to keep the public from using our facilities, but if the public abuses them, we have no choice," said Hudson. "We don't have a line in our budget for vandalism. When something like this happens, we have to take funding from somewhere else in order to pay for it, and it's funding we don't have." 
6 Comments
Mitzie Pruitt
3/27/2017 04:44:50 pm
I think it is a shame that our parks in the county are being vandalized. I have been a resident of this county all of my life and please someone correct me if I am wrong but do the Parks in the county not belong to the residents of the county? How can they be locked up? Why can only Board Members and others that were listed in the article be allowed to use the Parks?
The Edmonson Voice
3/27/2017 04:54:57 pm
The article did not say the parks were being locked up, but only field 2 at HWY 70 for now. Board members, park employees, baseball/softball coaches are allowed to use them for youth baseball and softball programs, which are going on now, which was also in the article. During youth softball/baseball season, the public has little or no access to the fields unless affiliated with youth league anyway. It's simply to deter people from damaging property after hours.
Dist.2 Constable office
3/27/2017 06:44:50 pm
The Dist. 2 Constable used to patrol the ballpark routinely, but it was decided by fiscal court, that we don't need Constables here in the county. So, it is no longer patrolled by the Constable.
Rodney Hoffman
3/27/2017 10:38:43 pm
I hate to see any type of destruction at our parks. It is certainly uncalled for. I do however believe the park and facilities were put in place and maintained for everyone to use. If a dad on his only day off has a chance to spend it throwing or working with his kids on an empty wet field so be it. We .. the county don't use the fields with permission from the little league program... on contrary the little league use our public field with the county's permission. This should not be confused. In a day where parents have so little time for kids I find it disgraceful to lock a public field up "so no foot prints are in it " REALLY
Allen Brown
3/28/2017 05:05:24 am
I tell you whats disgraceful, that parents dont have enough sense to tell their kids that its too wet to go to the ball prk. Yeah, the public pays taxes so yeah the fields belong to the people, but the baseball league players pay extra to use the field during the season. The old sayings that says this is why we cant have nice thngs rings true here. It cost money to build pitchers mounds and baseball fields so if there are stupid ppl out there that dont know how to take care of it it has to be locked up so the people can use it that paid for it, baseball players.
Rusty Duvall
3/28/2017 10:56:36 am
NO the players dont pay extra to use it. The player pay for fees for umpires and shirts and hats. The boosters who run the little league program pays county nothing in fact it cost county money to maintain these fields for everyone. So you are wrong there is no extra paid to use them Foot prints could be from seeing if its wet or dry enough to play either way it should be locked up at all. I agree with Rodney we all pay for them. how ever if the parks and rec wants to collect all the fees required to maintain the fields for entire year in the price per child it should raise it to well over what most could pay. Since they don't and we all pay for them then it should be open. We never heard AB whine when he had to work on field because of someone using them. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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