Park advisory board steps up to the plate

BY CINDY TOOPES COURIER STAFF WRITER

October 15, 2008 12:14 am

— OTTUMWA — The Park Advisory Board has more than one ball field in its dreams.
The board on Tuesday approved allowing Rathje to pursue improving and expanding the adult softball fields in the northwest quadrant of Ottumwa Park. The fields are between the Des Moines River levee and U.S. Highway 34 West.
In his report, Parks and Recreation Director Gene Rathje recommended the advisory board approve allowing Ottumwa YMCA and adult softball players to form a committee regarding adult softball fields.
“The two adult softball fields at Wayside Park are in poor condition,” Rathje said. “I’ve met with the YMCA executive director and the YM recreation staff. They agree something needs to be done.”
There’s room for a third field at Wayside Park and the two current fields can be renovated, or a four-field “quadplex” can be built at another site, Rathje said.
A softball player himself, Rathje told the park board he has viewed the local fields and believes better ones are needed. A quadplex would be optimum and could be achieved with renovating the two current fields and building two new ones.
Board Chairman Bob Beisch asked about a triplex.
“Three would be enough if each one had 300-foot fences and lights,” Rathje said. “The fences on the adult fields are 255 feet and 265 feet.”
The parks director also said one adult softball field is close to the street and the other is close to the levee. By turning or twisting the location of the current fields, a third one might fit.
Board Member Don Schwartz wondered if there was a better location.
Rathje said he could search for one.
Beisch said the city might be better off to keep the current location. But, the fields are too small.
“The turf on the infields isn’t the best but the lights are good at both fields,” Rathje said.
If the project happens, volunteers would handle the work at Wayside Park, he added.
Schwartz asked if the YMCA would oversee the project and Rathje confirmed it.
Beisch said “it’s a great location” for the current fields because the land is level, the city “has a lot started there” and the lights are good. If Rathje can’t find a better place, then the board “should go for the three fields there.”
Schwartz questioned field size.
“We won’t get high-quality tourneys with fields this short. We need a minimum of 300 feet, or even 325 feet,” Rathje said.
“We could ‘twist’ the fields,” Schwartz said.
“We could get an architect to fit [the three fields] in [the current location],” Rathje said. “At another location, there will be a cost for the land.”
Beisch said softball has already been established in the northwest quadrant at U.S. Highways 34 and 63.
“There would be room for four fields if we did a linear complex,” Rathje said.
“Somewhere Ottumwa needs a soccer complex,” Beisch said. “We may have to buy a nice piece of land.”
Beisch wondered about putting in three fields and moving soccer.
Rathje said another way might be two clusters of two fields each.
Councilman Bob Meyers serves as a council liaison to the park board. He commented on the sports complex at the former Walsh High School location.
Beisch wondered why the board should pursue more fields “since we have” the Walsh complex.
Schwartz said “we” don’t have that complex — the school district does.
“And the [school district] doesn’t have a pool,” Beisch said. “If we have a decent complex, why is soccer there?”
Rathje believes bigger, better fields will attract major tourneys.
“If you build it, they will come,” he said.
Cindy Toopes can be reached at (641) 683-5376 or via e-mail at cindy@ottumwacourier.com.