{The Sun}

Grand Terrace Little League seeks field space
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer

GRAND TERRACE - The city wants to step up to the plate for Grand Terrace Little League.
The City Council tonight will consider a proposal to let the league use city-owned land for two temporary playing fields.
If the council approves the idea, city staff members will come back at a later date with a formal plan, timeline and cost to build the temporary fields.
The Little League, which serves about 350 children ages 6 to 14, lost two of its three fields this spring.
In 2006, the city sold the two western fields of Pico Park to Colton Joint Unified School District. The fields sat on land that was part of the 67 acres needed for a new high school.
Construction started in April on the campus, called Grand Terrace High School at the Ray Abril Jr. Educational Complex. The school is expected to open in fall 2011.
The two fields at Pico Park were closed and demolished, forcing the league to finding other places to play.
"We want the city to help us acquire the fields to replace the fields we lost," said Russ Sulzmann, the league's softball representative. "We don't have a whole lot of resources as far as money and everything."
The city's Community Redevelopment Agency owns about five acres of vacant land directly north of the former Pico fields that could be used for playing fields on a temporary basis.
The city hopes the league can use the fields at the new high school once it opens. The earliest the Little League could play on the high school fields would be the 2012 season, city officials said.
Acting City Manager Steve Berry said the league has offered to help the city with donations of field equipment, temporary lighting and other services.
"This is a project that we're trying to involve the whole community and the league in," Berry said. "People need to step up and see what they can do to help create this field of dreams."
stephen.wall@inlandnewspapers.com (909) 386-3916