By Joani Gillam
Staff Writer
Supporters of the Mira Costa baseball and softball programs expressed concern at a Manhattan Beach Athletic Foundation meeting on Oct. 6 that the proposed redesign of athletic facilities will reduce the number of fields on which to practice.
In the tentative plan, in response to BB, the six tennis courts facing Artesia will be removed to make way for a new parking lot
This will be a replacement for the parking lot that will be lost with the construction of the new math and science building. As a result, new tennis courts will be built on parts of the existing softball and baseball fields, as well as tenatively on the new parking lot.
“It is a domino effect. The bottom line is, after the construction, the three baseball fields and two softball fields will be reduced to one a piece,” baseball coach Cassidy Olsen said. “We use them all now, so the question is, where will the other, non-varsity teams practice?”
Baseball and softball supporters and booster clubs worry that their needs won’t be met, and that the elimination of the fields will result in a loss of athletes.
“I believe that the current plan for Costa athletics will eliminate the frosh-soph softball program all together. They won’t have a place to practice,” Mira Costa softball representative Bill von Behren said.
The MBAF currently proposes adding three general fields to the campus. Each could be used by the baseball program, but would also be available to other sports programs.
“The intention of this plan was to provide open multi-sport fields that everyone could use, with minimal damage to the baseball program. We wanted to make lemonade out of lemons, and build facilities that provide the most flexibility,” MBAF President Gary Wayland said.
The $67.5 million bond Measure BB, approved in 2008, funds the construction of various Mira Costa campus facilities, excluding athletics.
Therefore, the MBAF is privately funding the redesign of the athletic facilities with a budget of $1 million, which it will raise independently.
“It is MBAF’s job with the million dollars to come up with the best solution possible. We want to find an option that everyone will be able to compromise with,” Wayland said.
Demolition of the tennis courts begins next summer, so the MBAF would like to submit the athletic blueprints to MBUSD as soon as possible. In order to address the needs of all of Mira Costa’s entire athletic program, Wayland is creating a “steering” committee to discuss the plans.
This committee will consist of eight to 14 representatives from various athletic programs including the baseball, softball and youth athletic programs. This committee will meet on a regular basis to ensure that the most accommodating plan possible will be submitted to the school board in December.
“The most positive thing regarding the next steps for the plan is the committee. It’ll get everyone’s opinions involved, which is something we’ve been wanting,” Manhattan Beach Little League Executive Board member Jeff Proctor said.
The proposed plan for Mira Costa athletic construction is not final. Alternative ideas may still be taken into consideration. Suggestions include reducing the number of tennis courts or building tennis courts on top of the new parking lot.
“The goal is to look for an option to utilize space for each sport and for them to all have a home on campus. We want to make sure that each and every student athlete will enjoy participating in Costa athletics after the construction,” Wayland said.
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