Undersized field to be replaced by parking lot
Campus Times
May 21, 1999
Officials from the University of La Verne have until the year 2001 to
adjust the unregulated sized softball field, which fails to meet National
Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) standards.
The softball field, located behind the Supertents and west of the Ben
Hines field, has a short center field fence of 168 feet. According to the
Official NCAA Handbook, center field must be between 200-225 feet from home
plate.
Jim Paschal, ULV's athletic director, said that lengthening the fence
is not an option. A walkway that separates the outfield fence and the Supertents
cannot be dug out for expansion.
"Under the ground there, there are a lot of berm utilities [electric
and water lines] that will take a great deal of money to remove and rebury
them," said Paschal.
"If the sidewalk was dug out, then that would bring access problems,"
said Phil Hawkey, executive vice president.
Students and visitors often use the walkway as access to the weightroom
and the football field. The cost to dig up the sidewalk alone is estimated
at $35,000.
Paschal and Hawkey are investigating to find where the best possible
place would be to have a softball field.
"The ideal situation is to have all sport events on campus,"
said Paschal. "I'd hate to move off campus, but it's something to look
at."
A demand for adjustments to the field is no surprise. Paschal said that
it has been known for years that the field is too small.
The softball field and the tennis courts are both designated to be eliminated
and replaced with a parking structure to ease the parking problems. Blueprints
were made last month showing parking lots on the designated areas.
Hawkey said that the parking lot on the current field will be completed
"by the end of October of next fall."
According to Hawkey, 100 spaces will be provided there, while construction
destined to the tennis courts will not begin for "a couple of years."
The city-owned Wheeler Park, located on the corner of Wheeler Avenue
and Arrow Highway, is under consideration by Hawkey to be used as the Leopards'
home field. Hawkey said that the school will be looking for "exclusive
use of both fields [of the park] during certain hours of the day."
