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67 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, September 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 25, 2004 Pop Warner football practice Tuesday took up the Orchard Hill Elementary School ballfield, which is bordered by the back yards of La Loma Street residents in the background. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Teams, neighbors vie for parks Striking a balance isn’t easy, Medford city officials admit By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune When it comes to using neighborhood parks, a fight has simmered between those who say space is needed for residents’ casual use and those who want room for sports teams to practice. "The issue is not to exclude neighbors from the neighborhood park," said Barbara Newell, whose property borders on a public park on the Orchard Hill Elementary School grounds. The fields are overrun with sports team practices, especially soccer teams, she said. The park is taken up many afternoons, evenings and weekends, leaving no time for children and families who live nearby. "It’s just total inconsideration," she said. Her husband, John Newell, isn’t against soccer. In fact, the Newells’ four children were on soccer teams, and Newell was a soccer coach. Advertisement Barbara and John Newell are among 15 La Loma Drive and Juanipero Way residents who submitted a signed petition to the city this month asking the Parks and Recreation Department to cut the amount of organized team sports activity on the Orchard Hill grounds, which like other schools in Medford become public parks when the school is closed. They’ve specifically asked that the city create a buffer by planting trees or vegetation between the fields and homeowners’ back fences. With soccer season beginning in early September, the request is timely. Brian Sjothun, the city’s parks and recreation superintendent and interim director since former director Scott Archer departed Friday, said the Parks Commission will discuss city-wide park use by sports teams at a future study session. "Almost all the parks are being used for organized sports," he said. The discussion will include considering ways to even-out park use. He said they also will look at how other cities schedule practice times. "We can work to clarify the regulations better," he said. Jerry North, president of the Phoenix-Talent Soccer Club, said his team practices a couple times a week at Orchard Hill, part of the Phoenix-Talent School District. He understands the neighbors’ concerns. That field is heavily used by the Rogue Valley Soccer Club, as well as football teams, he said. "I’ve been out there some times when there are four or five soccer teams and a couple Pop Warner (football) teams," he said. "It’s gotta be equal opportunity for people in the neighborhood to use the park." But Mike Dunn, president of the Rogue Valley Soccer Club, said there are 150 teams in the league and they have every right to use it, in spite of what the neighbors say. "They think that that school yard is their back yard and it’s not," he said. He said he’s instructed all his coaches to stay 25 feet away from the fence line, in order to provide a buffer for the homes, and they’ve tried to be good neighbors. He said the parents of the soccer players pay taxes, too, and have a right to use the park. "It’s like the person who moves in next to the airport and says the airport has to shut down," he said. Councilman Greg Jones, a former parks director, said other parks around the city — such as those at Hoover, Kennedy and Lone Pine elementary schools — also have high-use fields that back up to private property, and he hasn’t heard complaints from those. So city staff and the parks commission will look into creating a buffer of trees between the fields and the fences at Orchard Hill, even though it will cut down on usable field space. "It’s just unfortunate," he said. "Try to balance the neighbors and try to balance the sport and the kids — it’s not an easy one." Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities