Youth ballfield may slide into new home at La Conner schools

Efforts to find an alternative to historic Hedlin’s Ballfield as a local youth sports venue have apparently made it to first base.

The La Conner School District will provide a secondary diamond between Whittaker Field and the high school varsity softball field for youth sports next year, several sources have told the Weekly News.

“The field is fenced along the foul lines and there are dugouts,” said outgoing La Conner Schools Superintendent Rich Stewart, who discussed relocation plans with youth sports spokesperson Reb Broker recently.

“What we have indicated to Reb,” Stewart added, “is there is the diamond between the softball field and track that is available. We will need to work around the track season as the discus throw is located in that area as well.”

Town officials have also participated in talks concerning both short-term and long-range plans for a new youth sports site.

The relocation is necessary due to pending conversion of the nearly two-acre Hedlin’s Ballfield property on Maple Avenue to a 10-home housing subdivision and 24,000 square-foot public park area. Some residents have taken to social media to lament the project, sharing fond childhood memories of having played baseball, softball and soccer there and citing its defining role as an integral part of La Conner.

The Town of La Conner had for decades leased the ballfield on an annual basis for youth sports and as a community greenbelt. After the property was put up for sale and the lease expired at the end of 2020, it was rezoned residential from public use to conform with the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.

The Town purchased the ballfield at a below market price from the Hedlin family, retained 30 per cent of it for a park, then sold the bulk of the property to Landed Gentry Homes for new housing to help meet state mandates that communities address projected local population growth.

That, in turn, created a dilemma as to where youth sports would be played going forward.

La Conner Mayor Ramon Hayes and Town Administrator Scott Thomas committed last year to reaching out to the school district and Swinomish Indian Tribal Community to consider possible new youth sports locations.

Broker said a different area, on the northwest corner of the school campus, is ideal, but its development would require significant financial investment at a time when the district has no immediate plans to punch in a new ballfield.

“At this point,” said Stewart, “we do not plan to create a field separate from where we have designated.”

Between innings of a recent youth league game at Hedlin’s Ballfield, Broker estimated that it would cost about $80,000 to develop a new youth baseball/softball field.

On the other hand, Broker said converting the existing backup softball diamond would mostly require labor and purchase of a portable pitching mound, like that used at multi-purpose Bakerview Park in Mount Vernon.

Stewart said cost is not the lone factor in the equation. Space limitations make it difficult to commit additional campus areas for public recreation, he said.

“We are running out of space,” said Stewart, “as we provide the space for community recreational opportunities.”

Hayes, for one, is thankful for what the school district can provide now while more permanent options are explored.

“The good thing,” said Hayes, “is we seem to have a potential interim solution.”