Jim Gray of the Sunshine Coast Fastball Association told Sechelt councillors July 4 that moving the league’s games to Kinnikinnick Park has created some of the very safety problems stopping the games at Hackett Park was supposed to solve.
The district’s parks department denied the league’s application to play at Hackett Park, which is downtown, citing issues around possible damage or injury from foul and long balls, and complaints from residents.
The move came despite the league having played at the park for decades.
Gray’s presentation to council came a week after two teams decided to play a game at Hackett regardless. The game was well attended, drawing more than 75 fans.
Gray said being close to transit and at a centrally located park has helped them build up a healthy following over the years, but Kinnikinnick is too far out of the way for some of those spectators.
Gray also said while foul balls at Kinnikinnick go off into the bush, a problem for the league because it costs a lot to replace a lost ball, but not a danger to vehicles or spectators, the harder-hit pitches can end up sailing into other parts of the park.
His written submission noted that at one evening game, “two hard, long drives sailed directly into the play area, well-hit balls, that could certainly have injured a toddler playing in the sand. These two hits would have been stopped by the fence at Hackett Park.”
Gray also praised efforts by the parks crew to make Kinnikinnick a viable ballpark for the fastball league, but said its needs are very different from games like slo-pitch. “Those fields are perfect for their games – softer balls, very few if any foul balls, safety [is] really not an issue. Unfortunately, that is not the case for fastball.”
In summing up, Gray said the Fastball Association wants to go back to Hackett to wind up the season, which ends in August.
“Because the decision was made the way it was, we’re asking that council allow fastball players to continue to play this season, play the rest of these games at Hackett Park, which is a much safer venue for fastball,” Gray said. “At the end of the season, sit down with the decision makers and have a discussion about what the fastball league needs to do … and at the end of it, you can come to an agreement and make some decisions in a logical, meaningful way. ”
Coun. Noel Muller said he appreciated the problem with the Kinnikinnick field backing onto a playground. “I think one of the key issues we’re dealing with here is that these sports, including golf and baseball, with these high-velocity balls in play, really require a little extra work to house them in a safe way.”
Mayor Bruce Milne promised the conversations with the Fastball Association will continue, but he also said he hoped there wouldn’t be any more unauthorized games at Hackett and that at the June 28 game, “Your point was made fairly clearly. We hope that that was a point well taken… I think we all understand the issues. It’s just that we disagree on the final decision so far. We will consider it again.”
