Little League is great but park is a pain

Evidently Eric McFarlane doesn’t live near the Little League ball park off Calhoun Avenue. The T-ball field was thrust upon me, my family and our neighbors many years ago. We accepted it almost without complaint.
To satisfy the agendas of some Destinites, the road, Sibert Avenue, offering me access to the rear of my property was closed to accommodate building the new field. The field was built knowing that there was insufficient parking space.
The field was raised 4 to 5 feet to create a level playing field. The required barrier to keep erosion and water runoff was never built. So guess what has been happening all these years? Yes! You’re right. I now have a ditch running into a swamp in my back yard.
Lack of parking has created a very dangerous situation because drivers park on a very dangerous curve next to the park.
They park on the sidewalk or anywhere they can find a spot. I have seen residents pushing strollers in the street because of vehicles blocking the sidewalk.
Also, they park on both sides of the street which seems to be used as a “race way” for many other motorists, further adding to the danger.
All of this caused by a Little League field that should not be there in the first place. What do the children think when they see their parents parking illegally? What will they think when they’re old enough to drive?
“Mom and dad did it, why can’t I?”
The volunteer in charge of the grounds insists that the gate be unlocked so players may come on my property to retrieve foul balls coming over the fence.
The problem here is that it also allows unsupervised non-players to enter and play around the swamp. I have chased children as young as 3 years old from this area almost every day of the playing season.
Who is going to tell the families if and when a child is found face down in that swamp? I only thank God that hasn’t happened yet and hope it never does.
Little League is great. I coached it when my boys were that age. Mr. McFarlane was right to heap praise on the organization.
However, it seems that he hasn’t investigated this particular little league field and revealed or addressed the problems that exist here at Dalton Threadgill Park.
Destinites built the Morgan Sports Center. Why can’t the powers that be find some way to resolve these problems by moving the Little Leaguers out of a highly-dangerous residential area and solve these numerous problems once and for all?
Maybe they just don’t see a problem because no one has complained about it.
I am not proposing that we disband the Destin Little League program. I’m just asking that the problem that I see every day in my neighborhood be investigated and resolved for the good of the community.
Michael Berardi is a resident of Destin.