Solution for Parking Problems at North Canton Little League Ball Fields

       I heard a suggestion today that would negate the need to add more parking at the North Canton Little League Ball Fields and thus save taxpayers the loss of valuable Greenspace/Park land for additional parking as well as the cost of property acquisition and paving when that money is desperately needed for needs elsewhere in the city.

       The suggestion is that the number of games played simultaneously at the ball fields be limited to match the present availability of parking. And furthermore, that the next round of games not be scheduled so soon after the conclusion of previous games to allow traffic to leave before the next round of games start. 

       I do not know how many games they try to play simultaneously but if the addition of the eighth filed (a violation of the terms of the present lease) is any indication, they are apparently trying to play on all eight ball fields all at once which to me seems like chaos anyway you look at it. 

       In regards to the protection to the city well field:  In an effort to protect the environment and our water sources, the Stark County Health Department and the EPA has recently forced the City of North Canton to clean up street-sweepings that were dumped illegally. City officials will not fess up as to the total cost of the recent cleanup but it has run into the six-figure range.

       Logic would dictate that if street-sweepings are so detrimental to our water resources that they must be deposited safely after being swept up from city streets, how is it that it is acceptable to park hundreds of cars that can leak, gasoline, motor oil, hydraulic fluid and whatever else an individual would decide to dump out into a parking lot that is directly over a municipal well field.

       Instead of accelerating the level of activity at the North Canton Little League Ball Fields, sanity must prevail to bring order to the use of the property.

       There is no intent to stop use of the ball fields that are in a city park, only to bring about orderly use of the property and to protect the East Maple Street Well Fields. 

What are your thoughts? 

Thanks,

Chuck Osborne