Youth League and NWDASA

[NWDASA]

As some of you may know, at the regular monthly meeting of NWDASA on October 20, the board decided that NWDASA would not offer youth softball.  This matter has been on the NWDASA agenda every month beginning in August.  No one from the Youth league appeared at any meetings. Because we were aware that time was running short, rather than pass the matter again, we decided to vote.  A few of you were present at our July meeting.  During that meeting it was discussed that there were a couple of groups of people who were going to form a corporation to operate the Youth league and that whomever was going to do this needed to start immediately.  Within days of that meeting, a copy of the packet of information that was submitted to the City of Enid by this Board in the Spring of 2013, was provided to those who asked, so that they would know what information would likely have to be submitted to the City of Enid in teh Spring of 2014.  This possibility of separating the Youth from NWDASA was discussed at the coaches meetings last Spring.  This decision was not one that the Board took lightly. The decision was based on a number of factors, some of which is the ever changing information from the City regarding Government Springs and the amount of involvement the City's Parks and Recreation Department is going to have.  The lastest infomation I have been given is that the lower fields will no longer be used for softball and the upper field 'may not' be used for youth softball, but may be reserved for use by NOC.  The information was also that the City was going to make at least 3 fields available to Crosslin Park for youth softball, and that the P & R Department was going to 'oversee' the operations of whomever was going to be offering a youth league. I have also heard that Meadowlake Park 'may' be available.  We, as a Board, were not comfortable with the unknowns and did not want to offer a league without a guarentee of fields to play on.  There was discussion by those in attendence in July, that perhaps area rural schools would allow a youth league to use their facilities.  

 

Another factor was financial. As we indicated we would do at the Coaches meetings, in order to respond to suspicions that the Youth league was 'funding' the adult league, this Board kept track of the income and expenses for each league.  As it turned out, the adult league financed about a $6,800 loss that the Youth league sustained.  Much of the loss was with the concession stand operations, which lost around $11,000 and the end of year celebration expenses of almost $3,700. The Profit and Loss statement of NWDASA as of September 8, 2013, is and has been on the website, www.nwdasa.org.  The Board assumed that these individuals who attended the July meeting had followed through with their intentions and had a legal entity and a Board in place to pick up the Youth League.  It appears by the recent thread on Facebook, that this may not be the case.  We encourage all of you to get together, organize some type of group and open the lines of communication with EJRT and Kyle Blackburn at the City of Enid, Parks and Recreation Department. It is my understanding that the P & R Dept. is going forwards with the earlier plans to put softball fields at EJRT, so the only thing left to do by a new organization is to decide whether to partner up with EJRT or operate independently. This decision should probably be made after thorough discussions with both EJRT about what they will and will not do, and with the Parks and Recreation Department as to their future plans for softball fields in this community. It is my understanding that the City intends to have some field available by next Spring. The City has indicated that they are going to take over field maintenance at Kellet, and, in fact, have already began to do so. If the City does the same for the new softball fields, the financial burden of 'start up' expenses may be eliminated, and there would be no need for the new organization to purchase equipment such as mowers, bases, field chalk etc. The only necessary inputs could simply be the devotion of time by the parents and supporters.