McIntire Park was meant for all

I have been curious to read the reporting and editorializing on the changes to McIntire Park due to Charlottesville’s misguided decision to subsidize the YMCA — a direct competitor to its own recreation programs. Perhaps the city intends to cede its recreation programs to the YMCA as a cost-saving measure, but, as yet, that has not been announced.

The softball community says that it is against the loss of “historic” parkland to YMCA construction. One can only assume that this community is also against the Meadowcreek Parkway, which eliminates up to 13 acres of that historic park. Those of us concerned about the recreation possibilities of the park wonder what activity would be appropriate near the roadway and its attendant noise and pollution.

Just as McIntire Park should not be the YMCA Park, neither should it be devoted only to baseball sports. [Rectangular playing fields have been planned to replace the softball fields at McIntire.]
The number of sports those rectangular fields could ac-commodate trumps the softballers threefold, and yet softballers contend there is no place for them at McIntire Park. To not have one lighted rectangular field for community use, while softball and baseball have several, is patently unfair. McIntire Park should have a rectangular field — the number of players actually warrants two fields.

Paul Goodloe McIntire left the land for “all citizens to enjoy.” That message includes the literally thousands of youth and adults who play their sports on a rectangular field. They belong in McIntire Park to fulfill the donor’s bequest and to legitimize the designation of McIntire Park as a community Park.