Palmer Little League rounds first base on path to future indoor facility

PALMER — Palmer Little League cleared the first hurdle in their efforts to construct an indoor baseball facility in Palmer.

Resolution 19-24 passed the Mat-Su Borough Planning Commission on Monday without objection, recommending that the Mat-Su Borough Assembly approve a dual land classification of borough owned land for a five-year period as recreational use and public recreation lands. The sole purpose for the temporary land classification is so that the Palmer Little League can have a site identified as they continue their search for funding of the project.

“I think it’s clear that the community is in favor of this,” Planning Commissioner Chris Elder said. “I think we should also keep in mind that we are talking about voting on a classification rule here and not a specific plan, so I think it would be good for the community and good for the Mat-Su Valley."

Volunteers with Palmer Little League came forward to share their support for the plan to construct an indoor baseball facility near the Sherrod Ballfields in Palmer. Palmer Little League started in 1953 and will throw the first pitch on their 67th season in 2020. The organization for more than 500 ballplayers is done completely by volunteers.

League President Dave Combs boasted that through community support, the fees to play Palmer Little League are the lowest of any Little League in Alaska. Palmer has seen a larger crop of ballplayers come out year after year. In 2011, only 220 ballplayers put on Palmer Little League uniforms to play that season. Last year, Palmer Little League fielded 39 teams of boys and girls from ages 4 to 16 totaling 515 ballplayers. Not only does Palmer Little League operate, maintain, and provide opportunities for boys to become ballplayers, but functions as a coed baseball league for girls that also want to play baseball. Palmer Little League’s softball division has also grown from three teams to eight in recent years and serves the entire Mat-Su Valley as the only feeder system for high school softball teams.

“We’re very excited to try to get something to build these girls programs as well,” Frieda Schoon said.

Baseball fields come at a premium in Alaska where the snow and ice lingers into the late spring, forcing baseball and softball teams to find practice spaces in gyms or on football fields. When the snow melts and baseball season enters full swing for the summer, coaches place a premium on practice space. Palmer Senior Field must serve not only the five juniors and seniors division teams in Palmer Little League, but also accommodate high school and American Legion varsity and Junior Varsity teams in the summer.

“There’s hardly any place to get in practice time. It was hard to get field time. We really need to look at this as an investment in the youth of the Mat-Su Valley. I think if you sit back and think what can we give these kids that is going to last 67 years, this is something. This is something,” Dixon Hall said.

League Vice President Rob Meyer hoped to alleviate some of the concerns about parking brought up during the staff report. Meyer said that he was hopeful that if the plan went through that parking would be available closer to the soccer fields to improve safety. On any given sunny summer night, hundreds of cars line the ballfield parking lot and the Mat-Su Borough School District Headquarters parking lot immediately adjacent, stretching nearly all the way to Gulkana Street. Not only do ballplayers and their families use the space, but the soccer fields are often in use at the same time, creating congestion for drivers going to and from sporting events.

“For our kids in the valley to be competitive with other teams in the state we need an indoor facility,” Dave Sutton said.

The resolution provides a temporary land classification for the five-acre parcel that PLL plans to put the indoor baseball facility on. That area was amended by commissioner Stafford Glashan, who moved to add ‘plus required access roads’ in the third whereas statement of the resolution.

“I don’t want to see this kind of get handicapped because the better access road puts the footprint larger,” Glashan said.

League officials met with borough manager John Moosey and land management staff in late April to discuss the plan. On Sept 27, the 30-day public notice was initiated and school district engineers met with capital projects staff and land management staff in late September.

“It just seemed like it was a good fit for this particular property here,” Nancy Cameron said.

Cameron provided the staff report for the planning commission, detailing the timeline of events that had led to the resolution and the communication with Academy Charter School Principal Barb Gerard. The borough had secured the parcel in 2011 for future expansion of ACS. Cameron said that these types of land classifications typically do not require a public hearing. Gerard communicated with Cameron that ACS would be in support as long as the facility was contained to the north portion of the property to allow for future ACS expansion, additional parking or access to existing and future borough facilities. Cameron said that a priority would be placed on access and parking, and Gerard had specific concerns on an access road leading to the facility through the ACS entrance. A traffic impact analysis will be required by the Department of Transportation to determine if additional access to the facility from East Arctic Avenue will be permitted. Once constructed, the facility will be leased by the Little League and the borough will retain ownership.

“This facility is a game changer for Palmer Little League and kids in the Valley,” Meyer said.