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Optimists seek to shed dream field
by Johnny Whitfield, Wake Weekly Associate Editor
The Youngsville Optimist Club has done all it can do.
That's the word club members gave town officials last week as they announced their intention to give up management of the town's only youth baseball and softball programs. Commissioner Larry Daniel told fellow board members Thursday night that the program has gotten too big for the club members to operate. "Projects are taking a long time to complete due mostly to people not having time ... This is no reflection on the people running the program. They just don't have time," Daniel said. About six club members are responsible for most of the planning and work that goes into the league. This year 20 baseball teams and five softball teams participate in the Optimist Club's program. About 250 children signed up to play this year. Daniel told commissioners that if the town chooses not to take control of the operation, Optimist Club members have said they would form a separate group just to keep the program alive. Gil Johnson, one of the club members who works with the program, said the Optimist Club hasn't made a final decision about how it will dispose of the responsibility of overseeing the program, which has been in existence. "I think the board is going to deal with this next month, and we will probably wait until after that to make a decision," Johnson said. "This is a problem that we've known was coming for a long time, but it's finally here," Daniel said. Commissioners seemed interested in taking steps to save the program, but they wanted more information about the cost of running the league, which Daniel says turns a profit every year. But Johnson said the program doesn't break even. "The Optimist Club subsidizes the program," Johnson said. He estimated that the cost of operating the program runs between $18,000 and $25,000 per year. Daniel said the town would have to hire a part-time recreation director to manage the league properly. Town Administrator Brenda Robbins said the impact of taking over the league on the town's budget would be minimal. The town already owns one of the ballfields used by the Optimists. The other games are played on fields at Youngsville Elementary School, which were built by the Optimist Club for the school. Robbins said there have been no discussions about how to structure a new employee's role if the town chooses to hire a recreation director. "But baseball season is also grass-cutting season," Robbins said. Optimists pay for the program in a variety of ways, including sponsorships, concession sales and registration fees. Commissioner Leelan Woodlief asked how the town would deal with players who don't live inside the town limits. Robbins said registration for out-of-town residents could be raised to give residents a more favorable rate. Although Daniel told commissioners he wasn't looking for an answer Thursday night, he suggested that the board make a decision on the program's future soon. "They start planning for the next season in October," Daniel said. "If we don't take it over, then we don't have any control over who will run it and how they will run it." Youngsville's only other youth recreation offering is YAKS, Youngsville Area Kids Soccer. Like the Optimist's baseball program, YAKS is operated by volunteers.
Last Updated On: June 16, 2005
Copyright 2005 The Wake Weekly