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Home My WebLink About1995 - Sports Complex Under WaterSebastian River Area *Grant *Micco-Little Hollywood *Barefoot Bay OSebastian OFellsmere DRoseland ® Vero lake Estates Shris McCarthy, city Parks and Recreation Department foreman Oomplex Thursday. Press -Journal stall photo by Shelley t stands on second base of a flooded -out field at the Barber Street Sports- Complex Under Wat 6-1 By SHELLEY CANUPP Press -Journal Staff Writer Wet weather has turned the Barber Street Sports Complex into Sebastian's largest mud Puddle, and organizers of the area's various youth and adult sports leagues say it's not the &rst time. "Every single time it rains, it floods," said Fred Wininger, president of the Sebastian Old goys Over 50 softball league. "It looks like a lake out there." Wininger, who had to cancel ' Thursday morning's tournament because of the flooded fields, said he's not the only one around town who is unhappy. "Add girl's softball, boy's baseball, adult softball, soccer and football and you've got a lot of perturbed players," Wininger said. Chris McCarthy, foreman for the city's Parks and Recreation Department, said he anderstood everyone's frustration. "There's only about 1 ys months out of the year that the fields aren't in use by one sport er another," he said. "There's always some- thing going on here." The city bought the 14% acres the $500,000 complex now sits on from General Devel- opment Corp.* in the 1980s. It has four ball fields, a multi-purpose field, a football field and a creative playground. "All the fields need drainage work," McCar- thy said. "They're in bad shape." McCarthy said he's waiting for Monday, when the next fiscal year begins, so he can buy some much-needed clay for the ball di- amonds. The money will come out of the de- partment's operating supply budget, he said. Help can't come fast enough for Debbie Sweeney of Sebastian. Mrs. Sweeney, whose child is involved in the Sebastian Soccer Association, said the ball fields aren't the only ones in dire need of re- pair. The multipurpose field is dotted with holes and ruts from people driving on it, she said. "Kids can get hurt," she said. "When it rains, it's worse because the holes fill with water." Public Works Director Richard Votapka agreed that some of the fields are low al city needs to look at a drainage plan f, complex. Already in the works is a concrete wa that will go -between the fields so that w rains physically disabled residents w able to get to the bleachers. The city plans to go out to bid on the p Oct. 16, Votapka said. But that hasn't stopped some Seb, sports lovers from fuming. Maura Raborn, who has been active the Sebastian Panthers for several year) sports are "growing by leaps and boun Sebastian. "Pretty soon Sebastian will be biggel Vero," she said. "If we don't make pin better fields now, it's going to come up overnight" Rick Sweeney, president of the Seb Soccer Association, Said the Barber fields are "sad conditions for our child play on. The city.needs to raise the field: