The Holts Summit Optimist Club, which manages more than 300 area children in non-competitive baseball leagues, voiced scheduling concerns over the city's public ball fields Thursday at the Holts Summit Board of Aldermen meeting, saying they had been unable to reserve enough time to hold their season.
The group cited conflict with another youth baseball group, The Wanted, which had already reserved times on the city's two game-ready ball fields the Optimist Club traditionally use. The group also expressed concerns The Wanted had an unfair advantage over scheduling with two coaches who work in city administration.
The board passed a resolution to convert a multi-use field in Greenway Park to a ball field in the hopes of giving the two groups and city administration more options in working out a compromise. The Optimist Club, The Wanted and city administrators also agreed to meet today to work on a schedule.
Optimist Club President Jason Glenn said he has doubts if the additional ball field will be ready by the start of the season April 1, but he was optimistic the groups could work it out.
"We're excited; I hope we get this to work - that's the biggest thing - it's all for the kids," Glenn said.
The Optimist Club formed 14 years ago and hosts non-competitive co-ed baseball leagues for more than 300 children in the area, holding games during the week. The Wanted is a group of youth baseball and softball teams that play competitively over the weekends, using the Holts Summit fields for practice.
The board also passed the first reading on a proposed revision to Holts Summit's zoning code, which would place restrictions on new mobile homes and mobile home parks in city limits. The proposed changes originally met adversity from mobile home parks, but the city worked to relieve any concerns.
"The existing mobile home parks are satisfied with the language as it stands," said Blake Marcus, an attorney representing mobile home parks in Holts Summit.
One resident, Deborah Jackson, told the board she was concerned the changes would affect her property, a single-wide mobile home. Jackson said she understood the good intentions of the proposal, but would be opposed if it meant she would be unable to replace her single-wide mobile home with another or make repairs without violating the zoning code.
"I have always maintained my single-wide home and property," Jackson said. "But what about the homes around me that have stuff strung everywhere outside and abandoned homes. How does this affect my property?"
Alderman Charles Chamberlin, who ran the meeting in Mayor Landon Oxley's absence, said he understood her worries and asked the city attorney work with Jackson to satisfy her concerns.