BOULDER, Colo. — Iris Fields Park has been home to North Boulder Little League baseball for nearly 70 years. It’s seen 16 state titles and thousands of young athletes. Residents are worried that it may disappear.
Boulder County unveiled a plan on Feb. 4 to sell the Boulder County North Broadway Complex. The county purchased a building on 28th street and will be centralizing their services to the new location. No one has any problem selling the old county office buildings. The problem is that the parcel of land it sits on is also home to Iris Fields.
“We'll see where the community wants to go with this,” said Yvette Bowden, assistant Boulder County administrator. “There are over 100,000 people who live in Boulder and will give input to the Boulder Valley comprehensive plan update process and determine what the highest, best needs are.”
Boulder County is looking for public input on potential uses for the land after it's sold. If enough people tell the county how important the baseball fields are to the community, it’s possible that Iris Fields Park could be saved.
“The leaders have been unanimous from the city and from the county, that if enough people speak up, if enough people make their voices heard, that they are listening, and that we will be able to keep these fields,” said Thomas Click, who is leading the committee of concerned citizens and North Boulder Little League board members. “I think people are really concerned about the fabric of the community right here, because this is such a cornerstone of what Boulder is all about.”
Click argues that Iris Fields provides benefits that are needed in a prospering community. He believes it to be a space for recreation as well as a valuable community meeting space.
“The heart of every neighborhood is the Little League fields,” said Click. “When we start taking those spaces and pushing them out of the community, it really loses a lot. I think people are afraid to lose that.”
Click is looking for signatures for the online petition, “Save the Historic Iris Baseball Fields in Boulder, CO”. He’s going to be attending Boulder County public comment periods to let them know how many people are concerned.
“All your comments that are linked to the petition are going to be read out loud in all the public comment periods,” said Click. “Even if you can't show up and make your voice heard in the public comment periods, your voice will be heard. Your comments will be read.”
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