ROCK SPRINGS – Another field for local baseball teams to take advantage of was opened as the Rock Springs City Council approved the use of one field at Vase Memorial Ballfields for practice this summer.

Every year as summer approaches, local baseball teams and organizations voice concerns about the lack of fields and try to find solutions to make it through another year. At the recent Rock Springs Park and Recreation Board meeting, the debate was once again raised.

To try and help the situation, the Rec Board requested the council to allow groups to use one field at Vase Memorial Ballfield as a practice field. At the Tuesday council meeting, Rock Springs Mayor Carl Demshar clarified the groups using the field would pretty much take care of the maintenance of the field.

Director of Parks and Recreation Dave Lansang said this was the case. He said he went up a looked at the field and they would basically be using it as a sand lot or dirt lot. It was also explained the leagues have agreed they would pick up the rocks and do field preparation and understood it would be dirt and no grass.

Lansang explained to the council basically the city would just have to open the gate and let them in.

After approving the request, Mayor Demshar said the request takes him back to playing baseball when the fields were all dirt and they did not have the luxury of grass.

Councilman Rob Zotti joked with Demshar.

“I have heard of people being older than dirt but never older than grass. That’s a first for me,” Zotti laughed.