Help save our fields at Helen Mccall!!

[ashleybishop51685]

Hi everyone,
I usually do not post on here but we are in need of help. There are plans to eliminate our practice field that our rec league mighty mights and pee wees use to put in tennis courts. If this happens there will be approximately 60 kids without anywhere to practice. The only way they could practice would be to share the game field with our junior and senior team. That would put approximately 150 kids on one field!! We have a put together a petition to try and stop this. We need as many people as possible to stand with us on this issue for the sake of our children. If you would like to help please pm me or stop by Helen McCall any night during the week. Thanks in advance!!

 

[GULFSOUTH Soccer]

Ashley thanks for your post.

We run the club soccer program here in South Walton and also use Helen McCall Park. We currently cram 120 players onto the one soccer field, ages 7-13. Much like you, we are in dire need of more space and simply better kept facilities.

There are no lights on the field we use and have been told by the county that soccer cannot practice on any fields with lights at Helen McCall. That doesn't sound right to us?? So, we had to go out and rent our own mobile lighting system at $900 a month. This hurts....We're a 501c3 with a very limited budget.

Plus there is a mosquito control ditch that runs the entire length of this field with no safety fencing or barrier in site...snakes, insects, trash, muck and who knows what else. Kids have fallen in numerous times trying to retrieve balls, It's a mess.

We just returned from a tournament in Perdido Bay (Southwest Escambia Sportsplex). Amazing, well-maintained fields and solid partnership between the county and local youth sport clubs. This is a model that works.

We happen to think tennis courts are a good thing, but they should be built in a place where it doesn't take away from the already strapped green space for youth sports.

Ashley, Walk down to the soccer field on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday and we'll sign your petition. I do think this petition effort should include some viable options provided to the county as far as how/where to put in tennis courts.

Thanks for raising the awareness

 

[DaleDalbey]

Dynamo,

I raised the issue of the lack of fencing around Helen McCall several years ago with the commissioners and on here. Never heard anything from Cindy Meadows. Everyone on here said putting up a fence would be a detriment to the wildlife and parents should crawl in to get the balls if I was so worried. Hopefully, other people will get better results than I.

 

[Bob Hudson]

Fencing has been approved by the BCC. The Mosquito Director and I met with Commissioner Meadows to express safety concerns after the new fields were built.

On Tuesday Commissioner Meadows told me that Brad Alford had been instructed to get the fencing installed ASAP as she had secured the funding.

 

[GULFSOUTH Soccer]

Fencing has been approved by the BCC. The Mosquito Director and I met with Commissioner Meadows to express safety concerns after the new fields were built.

On Tuesday Commissioner Meadows told me that Brad Alford had been instructed to get the fencing installed ASAP as she had secured the funding.

Bob, Thanks for your continued support on making our parks a better place to play!

 

[ashleybishop51685]

Ashley thanks for your post.

We run the club soccer program here in South Walton and also use Helen McCall Park. We currently cram 120 players onto the one soccer field, ages 7-13. Much like you, we are in dire need of more space and simply better kept facilities.

There are no lights on the field we use and have been told by the county that soccer cannot practice on any fields with lights at Helen McCall. That doesn't sound right to us?? So, we had to go out and rent our own mobile lighting system at $900 a month. This hurts....We're a 501c3 with a very limited budget.

Plus there is a mosquito control ditch that runs the entire length of this field with no safety fencing or barrier in site...snakes, insects, trash, muck and who knows what else. Kids have fallen in numerous times trying to retrieve balls, It's a mess.

We just returned from a tournament in Perdido Bay (Southwest Escambia Sportsplex). Amazing, well-maintained fields and solid partnership between the county and local youth sport clubs. This is a model that works.

We happen to think tennis courts are a good thing, but they should be built in a place where it doesn't take away from the already strapped green space for youth sports.

Ashley, Walk down to the soccer field on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday and we'll sign your petition. I do think this petition effort should include some viable options provided to the county as far as how/where to put in tennis courts.

Thanks for raising the awareness

Thank you very much!! This seems to be a constant battle that we fight. My question is..if there is money to build the tennis courts that are not wanted by the majority of people using this facility now then why can't they use that money to fix what we already have. The soccer field needs lighting as does the tee ball field. Our game football field has holes all in it, the score board doesn't work correctly and the 2 portable bathrooms that are down there for hundreds of people to use on game days are absolutely disgusting!! If the new complex was already built and commissioner meadows wanted to add tennis courts then by all means please do. I'm not against tennis but I am against taking away the opportunity for the children to play/practice football like they always have on their field. We had opening day yesterday and if there were tennis courts where they are planned the whole day would have been a disaster! ! During the week the field is practiced on but on game day every team uses this field to warm up on before the game and it's also used as additional parking because there is not adequate parking available. I would really like to know who's bright idea this was to put in tennis courts in the middle of football season and why weren't any of us notified of this instead of hearing about it thru the grapevine?!?! I know about 250 people that have signed the petition in the last 3 days that would have loved to be aware of this before it was put out for bid with a scheduled groundbreaking in novemember!!!

 

[Bob Hudson]

When Ben and I met with Commissioner Meadows concerning the fencing of the mosquito ditch (should have been done when the fields were built) Larry Jones and Mark Davis were there as well.

We found them to be very concerned with the liability and safety issues and they committed to resolving the fencing issue very quickly.

The money to make all of the changes proposed for Helen McCall were to come from the loan approved to purchase the new land on Hwy 98 East and the new practice fields in Miramar Beach (land is leased from SW Water). That loan has not been secured as the process of acquiring the land has not been completed.

They committed to releasing 300k from reserves to pay for the Helen McCall park projects and then replace the reserves when the loan process is completed.

Cindy has asked that the fencing portion be done first as we requested.

She was great to work with.

 

[ashleybishop51685]

When Ben and I met with Commissioner Meadows concerning the fencing of the mosquito ditch (should have been done when the fields were built) Larry Jones and Mark Davis were there as well.

We found them to be very concerned with the liability and safety issues and they committed to resolving the fencing issue very quickly.

The money to make all of the changes proposed for Helen McCall were to come from the loan approved to purchase the new land on Hwy 98 East and the new practice fields in Miramar Beach (land is leased from SW Water). That loan has not been secured as the process of acquiring the land has not been completed.

They committed to releasing 300k from reserves to pay for the Helen McCall park projects and then replace the reserves when the loan process is completed.

Cindy has asked that the fencing portion be done first as we requested.

She was great to work with.

I'm glad she works well with someone. That's certainly not the case most of the time!

 

[Danny Glidewell]

Building adequate bathrooms that are up to code should be a priority. As far as where to play actual games, I call football all over South Alabama and North Florida and every other community except Niceville and Walton County uses the school facilities for games. I cannot see why that could not work here as well. In most of these communities the various organizations support each other and work together to help all the kids, from the 5 year olds to the seniors in high school.

 

[Bob Hudson]

I'm glad she works well with someone. That's certainly not the case most of the time!

That's not my experience.

Returns calls, listens and gives her thoughts.

Do we always agree ? No but who does ?