Camarillo rec baseball in pickle with Pleasant Valley schools over use of district fields
The Camarillo Pony Baseball Association is locking horns with the Pleasant Valley School District over the decision to allow the Miracle League to modify a field on one of the district’s elementary school sites.
Pony baseball players use fields on district property at the Pleasant Valley School of Engineering and Arts off Temple Avenue. The school district has an agreement with the Pleasant Valley Recreation & Parks District for the use of six fields so Camarillo kids can play baseball.
The Miracle League of the 805, a group dedicated to bringing together kids and adults of all abilities to play baseball, approached the district about constructing a field for their use at the Temple site — something to which the district agreed. The field would require rubberized synthetic turf so students in wheelchairs and with allergies can still get their time on the baseball diamond.
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“The decision to add a Miracle League field was not made in isolation or without a lot of thought,” Superintendent Angelica Ramsey wrote in a letter to the community Thursday. “PVSD will not spend any public dollars for the construction or maintenance of the Miracle League field.”
That leaves five fields at the Temple site for youth sports — namely Pony baseball, according to the school district.
The decision to approve the Miracle League field doesn’t sit well with Pony baseball leaders because, they argue, it could limit their games and participation. They also expressed concern they could lose more ball fields.
“The bottom line is the school on Temple has already taken the original Shetland field, and it is our understanding that they may be claiming the Pinto Eston field this summer for additional module space,” read an email circulating to Pony baseball families Thursday that was shared with The Star.
The email went on to state that the district had promised to donate the area for another field to the Miracle League and said district board members were quoted as saying that field was “unused.”
“We fully support the Miracle League but again, the area PVSD is offering is our Pinto Temple field which is definitely not ‘unused,’” the email says.
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The spring league has about 850 players, with 250 participating in the fall. The Sunday league held in Camarillo hosts more than 100 teams for both the spring and fall seasons, according to the email from the president of the Camarillo Pony Baseball Association.
“There are over 15 tournaments held in Camarillo, annually, each with approximately 75 teams attending. Each of these teams average 11 rostered players,” the email reads. “That totals represent approximately 14,000 player participation opportunities and over 3,000 games played.”
Ramsey said in her letter that based on previous information, the district understood that “once all additional baseballs fields are built at Freedom Park, that location would serve as Pony baseball’s primary park and the fields on Temple were to be used for overflow.”
The district said it communicated last year with the park district and Pony baseball that one baseball diamond would be used as a Miracle League field, Ramsey said in the letter.
“We agreed to provide PVRPD a year’s notice prior to this occurring. Even with any additional renovations for our students to use their field for PE and athletics, there will still be five operational fields for youth sports at the PVSEA site,” she said.
Ramsey said the district, the recreation district and Pony baseball are working to schedule meetings next week to “clear up any misunderstanding.”
“Pleasant Valley School District deeply appreciates our partnerships across the city,” Ramsey said. “While we know we are only one player in providing youth sports facilities, we take our role very seriously.”
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