NPS & DPR taking away any joy from the kids

[Anonymous]

Thursday, DPR removed the Fort Reno batting cage at the direction of the Nation Park Service as they decided that a batting cage was not in the original 2006 plans for the field re-development and requested that DPR remove the cage. Even though, DPR has a 30 year operating lease on the field space from NPS and has been failing to answer pleas from Wilson baseball for basic maintenance since March 1, they managed to get this done.

This cage was paid for by community members raising $8000 of money and has been there for many years. It's a key safety feature. Wilson has paid for the cage and it's upkeep - fixing it multiple times due to vandalism and allows all youth baseball programs to use the cage. 90% of the funds for the Wilson baseball program are raised by the team. There has been no word from anyone in DPR or the mayor's office on this.

If you have ever paid attention - the amount of effort that the baseball team has to put into using this field is insane. My son often complains about how much time they have to spend fixing the field over and over. It's good for him but the lack of consideration that both NPS/DPR shows our kids. The joys of DC.

[Anonymous]

DPR should be renamed the Department of Baseball. DPR has roughly 110 fields in its inventory and slightly under two thirds of them are reserved for baseball or other "diamond sports." The last time DPR released information on the makeup of its permit applicants, less than 15% of the participants played diamond sports, yet they get the lion's share of the space. The other 85% of the players play "rectangle" sports -- soccer, lacrosse, ultimate -- and have to fight for the scraps.

DPR has a number of multi-configuration fields that can be used as either a diamond or a rectangle. DPR systematically privileges baseball on those fields, even though the demand is overwhelmingly in the opposite direction.

[Anonymous]

I'm still pissed off at Wilson baseball for unilaterally putting up a fence at Reno a few years ago without asking DPR or NPS for permission, which effectively made the field unusable for any other purpose. And DPR acceded when they did that instead of making them take it down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thursday, DPR removed the Fort Reno batting cage at the direction of the Nation Park Service as they decided that a batting cage was not in the original 2006 plans for the field re-development and requested that DPR remove the cage. Even though, DPR has a 30 year operating lease on the field space from NPS and has been failing to answer pleas from Wilson baseball for basic maintenance since March 1, they managed to get this done.

This cage was paid for by community members raising $8000 of money and has been there for many years. It's a key safety feature. Wilson has paid for the cage and it's upkeep - fixing it multiple times due to vandalism and allows all youth baseball programs to use the cage. 90% of the funds for the Wilson baseball program are raised by the team. There has been no word from anyone in DPR or the mayor's office on this.

If you have ever paid attention - the amount of effort that the baseball team has to put into using this field is insane. My son often complains about how much time they have to spend fixing the field over and over. It's good for him but the lack of consideration that both NPS/DPR shows our kids. The joys of DC.

Good. Now do the outfield fence.

[Anonymous]

Your kid's only joy is playing baseball on this one particular field?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DPR should be renamed the Department of Baseball. DPR has roughly 110 fields in its inventory and slightly under two thirds of them are reserved for baseball or other "diamond sports." The last time DPR released information on the makeup of its permit applicants, less than 15% of the participants played diamond sports, yet they get the lion's share of the space. The other 85% of the players play "rectangle" sports -- soccer, lacrosse, ultimate -- and have to fight for the scraps.

DPR has a number of multi-configuration fields that can be used as either a diamond or a rectangle. DPR systematically privileges baseball on those fields, even though the demand is overwhelmingly in the opposite direction.

Zing OP. You didn't expect this response did you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DPR should be renamed the Department of Baseball. DPR has roughly 110 fields in its inventory and slightly under two thirds of them are reserved for baseball or other "diamond sports." The last time DPR released information on the makeup of its permit applicants, less than 15% of the participants played diamond sports, yet they get the lion's share of the space. The other 85% of the players play "rectangle" sports -- soccer, lacrosse, ultimate -- and have to fight for the scraps.

DPR has a number of multi-configuration fields that can be used as either a diamond or a rectangle. DPR systematically privileges baseball on those fields, even though the demand is overwhelmingly in the opposite direction.

Zing OP. You didn't expect this response did you!

Ha! No, I didn't. And that is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed. If it's true. I have kids that use those rectangular spaces as well. Can you provide info? Because when I went to check - the link was not found. https://dpr.dc.gov/page/dpr-athletic-fields

My argument here though was that DPR has an agreement with NPS to use that land for the baseball field. The community funded the batting cage which takes up a much smaller amount of land. Also, the reason there isn't an outfield fence is that NPS won't let us put one up. The field would be in much better shape if NPS/DPR worked with Wilson/Jackson-Reed to do upkeep.

I'm upset about a lack of transparency, a waste of money and a serious lack of communication. I have dealt with both NPS & DPR on issues such as schools, field permits and playgrounds - it shouldn't be that hard and things like this shouldn't happen. And, I think more of Reno should be turned over for field use so we can have some more rectangle sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thursday, DPR removed the Fort Reno batting cage at the direction of the Nation Park Service as they decided that a batting cage was not in the original 2006 plans for the field re-development and requested that DPR remove the cage. Even though, DPR has a 30 year operating lease on the field space from NPS and has been failing to answer pleas from Wilson baseball for basic maintenance since March 1, they managed to get this done.

This cage was paid for by community members raising $8000 of money and has been there for many years. It's a key safety feature. Wilson has paid for the cage and it's upkeep - fixing it multiple times due to vandalism and allows all youth baseball programs to use the cage. 90% of the funds for the Wilson baseball program are raised by the team. There has been no word from anyone in DPR or the mayor's office on this.

If you have ever paid attention - the amount of effort that the baseball team has to put into using this field is insane. My son often complains about how much time they have to spend fixing the field over and over. It's good for him but the lack of consideration that both NPS/DPR shows our kids. The joys of DC.

Good. Now do the outfield fence.

Take it down or put it up? Because again, Wilson baseball pays to put it up in the spring and take it down again after. Not allowed to have it up full time or do a permanent one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DPR should be renamed the Department of Baseball. DPR has roughly 110 fields in its inventory and slightly under two thirds of them are reserved for baseball or other "diamond sports." The last time DPR released information on the makeup of its permit applicants, less than 15% of the participants played diamond sports, yet they get the lion's share of the space. The other 85% of the players play "rectangle" sports -- soccer, lacrosse, ultimate -- and have to fight for the scraps.

DPR has a number of multi-configuration fields that can be used as either a diamond or a rectangle. DPR systematically privileges baseball on those fields, even though the demand is overwhelmingly in the opposite direction.

OP here - I just looked this up. I found 177 fields in inventory - 70 for baseball and 98 for rectangular use. Of the 70 for baseball - only 11 were 90' diamonds which are needed for high school play. I agree we need more rectangular fields but I don't think that number of large baseball fields is insane in a city our size.

If you have other sources of data - would love to see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your kid's only joy is playing baseball on this one particular field?

+1 sounds like your kid has other problems beyond playing baseball. Like being a weird isolated loser.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your kid's only joy is playing baseball on this one particular field?

+1 sounds like your kid has other problems beyond playing baseball. Like being a weird isolated loser.

Wow...mean trolls are out in force. Never said it was their only joy. Just a joy - please reread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm still pissed off at Wilson baseball for unilaterally putting up a fence at Reno a few years ago without asking DPR or NPS for permission, which effectively made the field unusable for any other purpose. And DPR acceded when they did that instead of making them take it down.

OP here again refuting yet more misinformation.

From the official baseball folks:
"The fence is permitted and we followed all of the required steps.  It was not unilateral and was signed off by and approved by NPS.  The fence has gone up each year since the field opened for a period from approximately Mar 1 - June 30.  One year we did not put the fence up because it was damaged and during COVID the fence remained up because permits for removal were not being granted and we were not allowed by the city to have gatherings of volunteers."

https://imgur.com/nth791f

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still pissed off at Wilson baseball for unilaterally putting up a fence at Reno a few years ago without asking DPR or NPS for permission, which effectively made the field unusable for any other purpose. And DPR acceded when they did that instead of making them take it down.

OP here again refuting yet more misinformation.

From the official baseball folks:
"The fence is permitted and we followed all of the required steps.  It was not unilateral and was signed off by and approved by NPS.  The fence has gone up each year since the field opened for a period from approximately Mar 1 - June 30.  One year we did not put the fence up because it was damaged and during COVID the fence remained up because permits for removal were not being granted and we were not allowed by the city to have gatherings of volunteers."

https://imgur.com/nth791f

The document you posted is a permit application, it wasn't signed by anyone at NPS.

Until a few years ago the fence was required to be taken down on Fridays so that the field could be used for rectangle sports on the weekend. I was there the first year Wilson refused to take it down. DPR had no idea what was going on, and they just knuckled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DPR should be renamed the Department of Baseball. DPR has roughly 110 fields in its inventory and slightly under two thirds of them are reserved for baseball or other "diamond sports." The last time DPR released information on the makeup of its permit applicants, less than 15% of the participants played diamond sports, yet they get the lion's share of the space. The other 85% of the players play "rectangle" sports -- soccer, lacrosse, ultimate -- and have to fight for the scraps.

DPR has a number of multi-configuration fields that can be used as either a diamond or a rectangle. DPR systematically privileges baseball on those fields, even though the demand is overwhelmingly in the opposite direction.

Zing OP. You didn't expect this response did you!

Ha! No, I didn't. And that is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed. If it's true. I have kids that use those rectangular spaces as well. Can you provide info? Because when I went to check - the link was not found. https://dpr.dc.gov/page/dpr-athletic-fields

My argument here though was that DPR has an agreement with NPS to use that land for the baseball field. The community funded the batting cage which takes up a much smaller amount of land. Also, the reason there isn't an outfield fence is that NPS won't let us put one up. The field would be in much better shape if NPS/DPR worked with Wilson/Jackson-Reed to do upkeep.

I'm upset about a lack of transparency, a waste of money and a serious lack of communication. I have dealt with both NPS & DPR on issues such as schools, field permits and playgrounds - it shouldn't be that hard and things like this shouldn't happen. And, I think more of Reno should be turned over for field use so we can have some more rectangle sports.

Actually, the agreement is to use the land as a multi-purpose field. With the outfield fence it can't be used for any other purpose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DPR should be renamed the Department of Baseball. DPR has roughly 110 fields in its inventory and slightly under two thirds of them are reserved for baseball or other "diamond sports." The last time DPR released information on the makeup of its permit applicants, less than 15% of the participants played diamond sports, yet they get the lion's share of the space. The other 85% of the players play "rectangle" sports -- soccer, lacrosse, ultimate -- and have to fight for the scraps.

DPR has a number of multi-configuration fields that can be used as either a diamond or a rectangle. DPR systematically privileges baseball on those fields, even though the demand is overwhelmingly in the opposite direction.

OP here - I just looked this up. I found 177 fields in inventory - 70 for baseball and 98 for rectangular use. Of the 70 for baseball - only 11 were 90' diamonds which are needed for high school play. I agree we need more rectangular fields but I don't think that number of large baseball fields is insane in a city our size.

If you have other sources of data - would love to see.

DPR has taken information about their fields and permitting off of the internet, they really dislike scrutiny.

They're counting multi-purpose fields twice.

From their most recent published inventory* DPR has 65 baseball fields and 48 fields of all other types. Just looking at the categories of the inventory is telling, the categories are:
GRASS INFIELD - 60' DIAMOND

GRASS INFIELD - 70' DIAMOND

GRASS INFIELD - 90' DIAMOND

SKINNED INFIELD - 60' DIAMOND

SKINNED INFIELD - 70' DIAMOND

RECTANGULAR FIELDS (MULTI-USE)


Yes, anything that’s not a baseball field is just “other.”

*It's offline but I'll see if I can find a cached copy.