Evening and holiday field closures came under scrutiny at the Park Advisory Board’s quarterly meeting on April 25. ’Buildings, gyms and fields must be closed when there is no staff,’ said Palisades Recreation Center Director Erich Haas, who passed out a sample schedule. On Sundays from April through June, the fields are permitted to Rec Center’s T-Ball and 5-Pitch programs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the Pacific Palisades Baseball Association from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., after which the park closes, leaving no time for the general public to play on those fields. According to Haas, priority is given for Rec Center programs, followed by those with permits, including PPBA, Corpus Christi School, Village School, Coast Sports, Super Soccer Stars, Muni Sports, individual coaches and those holding clinics. Before the perimeter fence was erected in December 2010, the public had 24-hour access to the baseball fields. Unchecked vandalism and graffiti resulted in the City asking the Palisades Community Center Committee, a nonprofit organization that built and maintains the Field of Dreams, to erect a fence, which is locked when the park closes. Board member Bob Benton, the longtime PPBA commissioner, asked whether the fields could be opened on Memorial Day. Haas said a staff member will keep the gates open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day. Also, park facilities will be open that Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The refurbished upper field activity area (at the park entrance) is now open and there were concerns about illegal dog activity, overuse and excess irrigation. Haas said he has ordered signs stating that dogs must be kept on-leash, a citywide park ordinance. Editor’s note: Additional news from the meeting will be reported next week.
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