Representatives of the Medlake Baseball and Softball Association addressed the Bethel Township Trustees of Clark County last week. John and Sandy Mead attended the meeting to give the trustees advance notice that the township will need to take over electricity services at the ball fields this coming summer as the association faces tough times.

The Meads have been active members in the ball league for quite some time now, however, John told the trustees that he is stepping down at the end of this season. He said he felt it necessary to warn the township that the baseball association would no longer be financing the electric service for the light poles around the ball fields on Gerlaugh.

“I’ve been doing this 21 years,” he said. “But at the end of this year, I’m done. I don’t want to just drop this in your lap,” he said to the board.

Sandy said she believes the lights will fail their upcoming inspection scheduled for July, noting that there appears to be an issue with the wiring in some of the lights. Township Trustee Dave Phares said the lights technically belong to the township anyway and thanked the Meads for their notifications. He said he would look into seeing if it will be cheaper to repair the lights or install new energy-saving bulbs instead.

The Meads said signups have been plummeting for the past several years, with Sandy noting that “kids just don’t play baseball anymore.” She said she’s also been told by parents that their children just have too many other extracurricular activities to add another sport. She said the league currently has about 200 kids all together, with 70 in tee-ball and the rest in baseball.

In other business during the meeting, the trustees voted to allow the Wee Arrows Cheerleaders to use one of the township’s rental buildings in June for uniform fittings at no fee.

Assistant Fire Chief Jennifer Cotterman reported that her department had responded to 546 runs since the beginning of the year, with 61 EMS and 11 Fire calls in April alone.

The Bethel Township Trustees meet the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the township fire house on Lake Road. The public is always welcome to attend and listen or share their thoughts on pertinent issues.

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