Nothing is set in stone just yet, but Derby officials said Tuesday Witek Park is definitely the preferred location for a new baseball field.
The Derby High School baseball field is currently at the Leo F. Ryan Athletic Complex off Chatfield Street.
But it has to move to make room for a new turf field and running track being developed at Ryan thanks to $2.9 million in state funding.
Members of a baseball field relocation committee met with members of the Derby Planning and Zoning Commission during a public meeting Tuesday night in Derby City Hall.
The committee members repeatedly said Witek Park is the best place to move the baseball field because it affects the fewest school and recreation league athletic programs in the city.
Furthermore, it’s what the city can afford to do. Witek Park provides the most “bang for the buck,” a phrase repeated several times during the meeting.
“We think that all our kids, all our programs will be accommodated,” Anthony DeFala, the city’s public works commissioner, said about moving baseball to Witek Park. “No programs will be compromised.”
DeFala is also a member of the baseball field relocation committee.
“I can’t speak for all of our committee members, but I think most of our committee members would like to see this field go up to Witek Park,” he said.
Moving the baseball field to the Little League complex off Nutmeg Avenue is too expensive, and would displace Little League. Moving the baseball field to the Bradley School would displace some eight athletic programs.
Witek Park is in east Derby near the intersection of Sentinel Hill and David Humphreys roads.
Right now there are two soccer fields in Witek Park, which opened to great fanfare in 2006.
To put the baseball field at Witek Park, the city will have to move the soccer field closest to the Witek Park entrance (the “lower” field). The plan is to put it next to the existing soccer field in the “upper” portion of the park.
In addition, the orientation of the soccer fields will have to be changed from facing north-south to facing east-west.
Derby Youth Soccer families were the driving force behind getting get two soccer fields built at Witek Park in 2006. The fields were designed specifically for soccer.
Farhad Mekael, a member of the Derby Youth Soccer Board of Directors, attended Tuesday’s meeting.
He objected to the fact no one from Derby Youth Soccer was appointed to the baseball field search committee. He further worried the type of attention to detail that went into designing the Witek Park soccer fields is simply absent this time around.
Mekael pointed out no one knows where Derby Youth Soccer is going to play if and when construction starts at Witek Park, while the school district has already lined up agreements with neighboring towns in anticipation of construction starting at the Ryan Athletic Complex.
He worried the city set its eyes upon Witek Park and that was that, even after the public said stay away from Witek Park.
“There hasn’t been enough consideration given to Derby Youth Soccer,” Mekael said.
Derby Youth Soccer board members have previously said the Witek Park discussions are fundamentally flawed because the state allocated money for a turf field and new track at the Ryan Athletic Complex — not for a new baseball field and soccer field at Witek Park.
Conway disputed this assertion, saying there was $224,700 in the original bond request.
DeFala said the committee wasn’t formed by specifically picking people to represent every organization in Derby.
“This is a neutral group,” he said.
DeFala said the committee is well aware of the concerns of Derby Youth Soccer, and they’re working to address those concerns. He said the committee looked extensively at options other than Witek Park, but each one opened a Pandora’s box of issues and potential expenses.
The city does not want to spend more than the state allocated, he said.
“We’re not going to spend $3 million and come out with less playing space for our kids,” DeFala said. “That just doesn’t make sense.”
Carmen DiCenso, president of the Derby Board of Aldermen, said soccer uses about 150,000 square feet at Witek Park. He estimated that if the plan moves forward, Derby Youth Soccer will have about 143,000 square feet to use.
Plus, soccer will have access to the new turf field during the spring. However, Derby Youth Soccer officials have said they’re not interested in the turf field because of health concerns.
Jack Walsh, a member of the baseball field relocation committee, noted the Derby track teams have not had a place to call home since 1992.
He urged leagues to think of the greater good when discussing Witek Park and the city’s recreational needs.
PERMANENT STRUCTURES
In order to move the baseball field to Witek Park, the city/school needs permission from the Derby Planning and Zoning Commission.
The city purchased the land that became Witek Park from Birmingham Utilities in 1998 for $1.8 million.
When reviewing the application to build the two soccer fields in 2003, the Derby P&Z put strict rules in place in 2003 banning “permanent structures” from Witek Park.
That meant no bleachers, concession stands, storage buildings, or lights.
The goal was to protect the park, Derby P&Z Chairman Ted Estwan Jr. said.
But a baseball field needs things such as dugouts, fences and backstops. The baseball field relocation committee wanted to know Tuesday whether the P&Z would even entertain such things — or whether they were wasting their time.
Estwan said the P&Z would review a formal site plan explicitly spelling out the Witek Park project.
He did warn them, though — lights would not be permitted.
A separate committee overseeing the Ryan Athletic Complex project recently recommended a project manager and is going out to bid to hire an architect.
At that point, the city will have more concrete data on how much this will all cost.
DISCLOSURE: The writer volunteered as an assistant coach for his first-grade son’s team in Derby Youth Soccer where he learned it’s really hard to teach kids corner kicks.
