- May 3, 2024
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Raiders flag football player Jaden Williams, 8, catches a ball thrown by another youth flag football player. Local youth teams gathered in front of City Hall on May 2 to protest the state of the city fields. Photo by Sierra Williams.
Mad Dogs Flag Football President Jarrod Maxwell speaks to the youth teams ahead of the City Council meeting. Photo by Sierra Williams.
The fields at Ralph Carter Park. Photo courtesy of Mad Dogs flag football.
On an average day, it would seem out of place for kids to play ball on City Hall’s front lawn.
But youth teams from Palm Coast played pick-up games in front of City Hall on May 2 before filing into the building to have their voices heard at the City Council’s business meeting.
Jarrod Maxwell, president of the Mad Dogs flag football team, said he brought parents, players and coaches from youth teams to speak about the poor state of the city’s fields.
“What I want doesn't matter; what City Council wants doesn't matter,” Maxwell said. “It's what these kids need and want. They need a safe place to play.”
What I want doesn't matter, what city council wants doesn't matter. It's what these kids need and want. They need a safe place to play. — Jarrod Maxwell, president of the Mad Dogs flag football team
Almost a dozen people spoke about the fields during the meeting's public comment period, and 100 more filled the meeting room, cheering loudly after each speaker.
Parents and coaches asked repeatedly for the City Council to address the issues at the city parks — especially Ralph Carter Park.
Ralph Carter Park, at 1385 Rymfire Drive, serves multiple youth sports teams.
It is one of only two city parks with lighted sports fields, and is the park most used by the local youth teams, Maxwell said.
Dozens of youth organizations use Ralph Carter Park, he said, with over 1,000 kids getting on the field during the year.
“So, when you take 1,000 kids throughout the year, and you put them in one park, well, it's going to ruin the fields,” Maxwell said. “It creates a lot of divots, a lot of holes, a lot of unsafe areas out on the field.”
Safety was a major concern for the parents and coaches who spoke during public comment — from a lack of available parking at Ralph Carter, to the holes on the fields.
William Roberts, a Mad Dogs coach, told the City Council that there have been several knee and ankle injuries on his team just within a year. Matthew Struhar, vice president of Mad Dogs, said he severely injured his own leg on the fields, and, over three months later, it still isn’t the same.
“The fields have gotten progressively worse over the years,” Struhar said.
The state of fields is not the only safety concern, Maxwell said. The park — like many Palm Coast areas — doesn't have enough parking. That means families with young kids have to walk down and cross a busy street just to get to the field, he said.
Maxwell said the city has been throwing seeds on the grass hoping it will grow, but seeds won’t fix the problems.
The city closed Ralph Carter Park on May 2 for the remainder of the football season because of the recent concerns, Parks and Recreation Director James Hirst said.
Hirst said the city transitions the grass coverage every fall and spring. But this year, because of weather conditions and increased traffic, the grass isn’t growing.
The problem isn’t the lack of grass, Maxwell said — it’s that water doesn’t drain properly when it rains.
Hirst said safety is a priority for Parks and Recreation, but some issues — like drainage or adding lighting — require projects that are more involved than the department can immediately handle.
“If there's conditions that we can control, we will fix them immediately,” he said. “A lot of things are more of the capital project kind of area.”
Staff does do routine inspections, he said. He encouraged residents to tell Parks and Recreation about any problems they find.
Dell Arneaud, owner of Winnerz Circle Youth Sports, said he has canceled multiple practices and games at Ralph Carter Park due to poor field conditions after it rains.
Ralph Carter Park, Arneaud said, is the most accessible park for his teams. It’s in a central location, has lighting and is the largest of the other available city parks except for Indian Trails Sports Complex — which, he said, is often fully booked.
We need something in place for these kids, these current kids. Not the next generation of kids. — Dell Arneaud, owner of Winnerz Circle Youth Sports
Arneaud said he wants the city to put a plan in action that can help kids now — like adding a turf field or addressing the drainage and safety problems.
“We need something in place for these kids, these current kids,” Arneaud said. “Not the next generation of kids.”
Neither Arneaud nor Maxwell expected an immediate response from the city, but they — and other people who spoke — want the city to improve safety at the fields: more lighting, more parking and better grading at Ralph Carter Park.
“It's nice that we have the ideas,” Maxwell said. “But now it's time to actually put things to work.”
