March 14th, 2009

Today, Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris announces a plan to save the softball fields at McIntire Park.

Norris will ask City Council to make a change to the McIntire Park master plan to preserve the fields

"You had representatives from a whole variety of groups here that before have been competing for field space, competing for access to parks in the city and the county, all standing together saying we need a better path forward," said Mayor Dave Norris.

This group says keeping the softball fields, and other recreational sports fields in the area, is crucial to the community.

"I didn't want to lose the fields. We'd have to go somewhere else for school ball. It just reduces the number of fields we have to use in Charlottesville," said Taylor Peed, a high school softball player.

Mayor Norris plans to initiate a comprehensive study of field space in the region. The goal of the study would be to identify additional fields and develop a plan for using the fields in a way that serves everyone.

"How do we work better together as a region with the city the county the university, all the affected recreational leagues, sitting around a table together and saying, lets figure out all the field spaces that we have access to," said Mayor Norris.

So area leaders can find more places to play sports in the county.

The CEO of the YMCA says, according to the lease they agreed to with the city, they never planned to build on the softball fields in McIntire Park.