Written by BY HEATHER MILLER
THE DAILY IBERIAN
Published/Last Modified on Monday, August 24, 2009 2:07 PM CDT
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The New Iberia Athletic Association, formerly the New Iberia Little League, has a fundraising drive in full swing in hopes of raising money for improvements to its more than 40-year-old baseball park.
The fields at the old Navy air base near Acadiana Regional Airport have not seen major upgrades since 1963, which leaves board members hoping that $15,000 to $20,000 raised would bring new lights, fencing, dugouts and more to the 300 children who play there each year.
The calls for donations, however, have raised questions on why money is needed to improve a decades-old park when New Iberia has a new sports complex to house youth sports leagues in the parish.
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The Louisiana PepperPlex is run by the Iberia Sports Complex Commission and is home to the Iberia Soccer Association and the Evangeline Little League.
But in its original charter that established the PepperPlex, New Iberia Little League was listed as a founding member of the complex, and thus has two open spots on the commission that runs it.
Commission President Troy Comeaux said the PepperPlex was designed to accommodate both youth baseball programs in the parish.
“They’re trying to rebuild a park that’s so old, when they could be putting their energy toward continuing the building of a new facility,” Comeaux said. “The funds to rebuild there is against the vision that all the folks involved in the creation of the PepperPlex had in mind, including the New Iberia Little League at that time.”
New Iberia Little League was represented on the Iberia Sports Complex Commission since its inception and through mid-summer this year.
Evangeline Little League already has begun playing at the PepperPlex because its baseball fields were demolished to build the new North Lewis Elementary School, Comeaux said.
“We’re very close to having enough facilities to be able to play both leagues,” Comeaux said. “That’s what the leaders of the city, the parish and the state understood it to be. There’s no reason for us to be going in opposite directions.”
New Iberia Athletic Association President Shane Verret said he is not too familiar with his group’s ties to the PepperPlex, as he was not board president at the time the agreement was signed.
With new board members and new leadership, this year the youth baseball organization has switched from Little League Baseball to the Babe Ruth League. The league accommodates children ages 4 to 16 from Iberia and St. Martin parishes and parts of Lafayette Parish.
“We have a new, good group in our board of directors,” said Verret. “We want to see us going in a better direction.”
Bayou Productions was hired to help with the association’s fundraiser and will be receiving a portion of the donations, but Verret said he is not sure how much the flat fee is.
BY HEATHER MILLER
THE DAILY IBERIAN
Published/Last Modified on Monday, August 24, 2009 2:07 PM CDT
The New Iberia Athletic Association, formerly the New Iberia Little League, has a fundraising drive in full swing in hopes of raising money for improvements to its more than 40-year-old baseball park.
The fields at the old Navy air base near Acadiana Regional Airport have not seen major upgrades since 1963, which leaves board members hoping that $15,000 to $20,000 raised would bring new lights, fencing, dugouts and more to the 300 children who play there each year.
The calls for donations, however, have raised questions on why money is needed to improve a decades-old park when New Iberia has a new sports complex to house youth sports leagues in the parish.
Advertisement
The Louisiana PepperPlex is run by the Iberia Sports Complex Commission and is home to the Iberia Soccer Association and the Evangeline Little League.
But in its original charter that established the PepperPlex, New Iberia Little League was listed as a founding member of the complex, and thus has two open spots on the commission that runs it.
Commission President Troy Comeaux said the PepperPlex was designed to accommodate both youth baseball programs in the parish.
“They’re trying to rebuild a park that’s so old, when they could be putting their energy toward continuing the building of a new facility,” Comeaux said. “The funds to rebuild there is against the vision that all the folks involved in the creation of the PepperPlex had in mind, including the New Iberia Little League at that time.”
New Iberia Little League was represented on the Iberia Sports Complex Commission since its inception and through mid-summer this year.
Evangeline Little League already has begun playing at the PepperPlex because its baseball fields were demolished to build the new North Lewis Elementary School, Comeaux said.
“We’re very close to having enough facilities to be able to play both leagues,” Comeaux said. “That’s what the leaders of the city, the parish and the state understood it to be. There’s no reason for us to be going in opposite directions.”
New Iberia Athletic Association President Shane Verret said he is not too familiar with his group’s ties to the PepperPlex, as he was not board president at the time the agreement was signed.
With new board members and new leadership, this year the youth baseball organization has switched from Little League Baseball to the Babe Ruth League. The league accommodates children ages 4 to 16 from Iberia and St. Martin parishes and parts of Lafayette Parish.
“We have a new, good group in our board of directors,” said Verret. “We want to see us going in a better direction.”
Bayou Productions was hired to help with the association’s fundraiser and will be receiving a portion of the donations, but Verret said he is not sure how much the flat fee is.
Both baseball organizations agreed there has been little to no communication over the past year, but Verret said he and board members will continue their fundraising efforts to ensure the league’s children will have adequate facilities in the coming years.
“It’s about having fun, and teaching the kids to play baseball,” Verret said.
Comeaux will attempt to reignite communication between the leagues, he said, to try and prevent what he called “a lot of lost motion.”
“It’s about having fun, and teaching the kids to play baseball,” Verret said.
Comeaux will attempt to reignite communication between the leagues, he said, to try and prevent what he called “a lot of lost motion.”
It is just exactly as you said.