Othello cancels Little League baseball

OTHELLO — There will be no Little League baseball in Othello this year.

Parks and Recreation Coordinator Randy Gomez told members of the Othello City Council during an online meeting Monday that given the limits on gatherings during Phase 2 of the state’s COVID-19 reopening plan, there is simply no way to hold ball games at Lions Field.

“Opening day and the parade, the first game on Saturday with the crowds in the bleachers, that’s what Little League is all about,” Gomez said. “It’s a tradition for many years, as long as I can remember.”

With Adams County in Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s four-phase reopening plan, public gatherings — even ones outdoors — are limited to five people. Unlimited public gatherings would not be allowed until Phase 4 of the plan, and Gomez said no one knows when that will happen.

In fact, even if Phase 4 were implemented in Adams County in July, the five weeks needed to hold an entire Little League season would bring the end of Little League too close to the start of school.

“It’s hard to make the season happen,” said Monday.

Instead, Gomez said the city should focus instead on properly organizing the 2021 Little League season.

While the council did not have to vote to cancel Little League, council members reluctantly endorsed the move.

“This was not an easy decision, but it was not a decision the city and the council has a choice to make,” said council member Corey Everett. “This decision was pretty much made by Jay Inslee.”

The council also approved a change to the roughly $380,000 contract to replace the infields on the baseball diamonds at Lions Park to build a fence in order to secure the fields.

“We’ve done a lot to get these fields in condition,” said council member John Lallas. “Limited access is not a bad thing. They’re there for league ball.”

Council member Genna Dorow said the intent behind fencing off the fields and controlling access is “to protect the public’s investment” and prevent vandalism and damage to the new ball parks.

Mayor Shawn Logan said upgrading the ball parks and creating an incentive to bring baseball and softball tournaments to Othello would be good for business and good for the city, and is “what the people wanted.”

The additional fencing would cost around $26,000. According to city documents, around 75 percent of the total cost of the project is being paid for by a state recreation grant. Should the fencing be eligible under the grant, Othello would only be responsible for $6,400 of its construction cost.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected].