PLAY BALL! City Council promises youth baseball will go as scheduled

BY JENNIE KELLER
With no formal contract in hand for any youth baseball provider in the Fountain Valley, it looked like Fountain’s City Council might have to make a tough decision and delay baseball this spring and summer. However, at the Council meeting on January 26, Mayor Jeri Howells made it clear that baseball would go on as normal.
Since 1967, the Babe Ruth League has been the baseball provider of choice for the Fountain Valley area. Last July, the president of the Fountain Valley Baseball Association, Dale Terrell, filed his intent to continue to provide baseball for the area with the City of Fountain. This is a process that is done annually as FVBA has First Right of Refusal in their contract. This means that before the contract can be offered to another baseball provider, FVBA has a chance to review the contract with the city through good faith negotiations.
After filing his Letter of Intent in July of 2009, Terrell heard nothing from the city until October when he was informed that Little League of America was looking into starting a league in Fountain. This is when the confusion really seems to have begun.
“I received a call from Duane Greenwood that Little League was interested in starting a league and that I should attend the next Park Board meeting to hear their presentation as well as possibly defend my contract. This seemed unusual to me since I had filed the FVBA intent four months prior,” stated Terrell.
Greenwood, director of public works for the City of Fountain, ultimately oversees the baseball program since it falls under Parks, a division of public works.
On October 13, 2009, Little League representatives were invited to give a presentation at a City Council meeting.
Due to scheduling issues, FVBA was not able to present until just last month.
“Again, this is confusing to me since FVBA has the right to refuse a contract, and we had yet to be presented with said contract,” declared Terrell.
Greenwood stated that the delay in the contract is all about the promotion of competition. “Little League came in and seemed to have a good offer. We want to make sure we listen to everyone and promote competition,” he said in a phone interview. “There won’t be a contract for a few more months so we are operating under the past agreements at this point. We don’t want the kids in the area to not have baseball, so it will go forward as if there were a contract.”
In the meantime Greenwood and City Council will work on a Letter of Agreement.
As for the future of baseball in the Fountain Valley, both FVBA and Little League want to be a part of it. Mayor Howells agrees with this idea. “I personally would love to see both leagues operate in the area. We have two soccer leagues, why can’t we have two baseball leagues? It gives parents and players a choice.”
Mike Sedillos, district administrator for Little League of America in the southern Colorado area, agrees that it should be about what the community wants. “We won’t go where we aren’t wanted. But if the community wants Little League, we can work to make that happen. We currently operate a successful league in Colorado Springs that allows players in the Widefield, Security and Fountain areas to join. But if Fountain specifically wants us, we will continue to work with them,” he stated.
Registration for Fountain Valley Baseball Association starts this coming Saturday, February 13th and will be held from 9-3 at Fountain Middle School at 515 N. Santa Fe Drive. Registration is also accepted online at www.fvba.net. Games will being on May 8th.
For those interested in Little League, registration has opened on their website at www.coloradospringslittleleague.com.