Baseball boosters want a . Neighborhood activists at all. What鈥檚 Arlington County to do to quell the ?
Remove a portion聽of the fence.
That鈥檚 the new plan for a soon-to-be-renovated in Bluemont Park, as laid out in a .
The plan calls for 162 linear feet of fence to be removed along the first and third baselines. The fence will remain elsewhere around the baseball diamond, though its height in the outfield will be reduced from 8 to 4 feet.
The compromise 鈥渕aintains a level of open access to field鈥� while still bringing the field 鈥渦p to current standards,鈥� the presentation says.
The presentation notes that the community is 鈥渄ivided between need for upgraded ballfields and need for preserving open and multi-use spaces,鈥� with passionate advocates on both sides.
Baseball supporters say the fence is necessary for safety and for maintaining the integrity of the game, as other park users have a tendency to wander into the middle of youth baseball games. Open space supporters say it鈥檚 important for other park users to have a chance to use the field when baseball 鈥� a seasonal team sport 鈥� is not being played.
The new plan will be presented to a number of county commissions before the County Manager discusses it with聽the County Board on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
