Parent CommentsThe following are a few of the comments we have received in our online petition which will be emailed and hand-delivered to county commissioners. If you have not completed the email with your comments please do so. Let our County Commissioners understand how you feel. We will soon be expanding our overworked 7-8 person committee into subcommittees to tackle specific smaller projects. Each subcommittee will consist of a larger group of Westside residents. Each subcommittee will have a specific purpose and goal to achieve. The more community involvement we can achieve for each task the greater impact it will have on the County Commission decision-making process. The Westside community has been ignored far too long. Please make plans to dedicate some of your time to this project. Please visit our Volunteer area to get involved with this project.
This note is to make you aware of the inadequate, unsafe, and handicapped
inaccessible Youth Athletic facilities currently used by Westside Parents and
Children. Currently 26 teams are squeezed into 2 fields, which are shared by
the west Side Middle School Athletic programs. Youth must travel more than 40
minutes one-way, on school nights to secure adequate practice facilities at
other community parks. West side fields are completely inadequate. It is a
travesty that our wives and children do not even have restroom facilities other
than porta johns. Why not take the 70-something idle road department staff and
build a park that will serve our youth?
We need more areas of positive activity
for our children and grandchildren.
My daughter is in high school now, but I remember the difficult time that we
had finding a field to practice on during softball season when she was in
Elementary School. This year, she helped in coaching a cheerleading squad where
the cheerleaders were forced to practice on concrete, dirt, driveways or where
ever they could find. We have failed our athletic teams and our community by
not providing the necessary accommodations in the Westside area.
I have had children playing sports @ Westside for a number of years and I have
assisted coaching some of these teams with (Name removed) and I always found it
ridiculous to have small children practicing so late at night because there
wasn't enough practice fields for all of the teams. We would schedule our teams
to play early in Murray county as to use this time as practice. With all of the
new subdivisions being built in the Westside area the problem is just going to
continue to grow. You ought to try and explain to a child when they play at a
park like Edwards Park in Varnell or on fields like the ones @ Dug or Pleasant
Grove, Varnell School even Cohutta as small as this community is has a better
sports complex than Westside has @ Westside the fields are as old as the
school. The football field doesn't have enough room you have to set on the
ground or stand up and listen to the parents from the other parts of the county
brag about their fields and run our community in the !
dirt because of how bad the conditions are. It looks like this would even be
embarrassing to the school system. My son played football for Westside an they
always had to play the bigger schools at their stadiums because Westside fields
wasn't big enough or good enough. At the time of these commits I was under the
belief that the proposed site of the complex on Landfill Rd had been sold for a
new subdivision. The County needs to step up and start taking care of the
Westside community like it does the other communities in Whitfield County. I
have 6 more children that will be involved in recreational activities @
Westside and I hope and pray that they will have better facilities and
equipment then my other children that has already moved on to middle school
sports.
As a parent of four school age children, living on the edge of Whitfield and
Walker counties, it is very difficult to travel all the way to Edward's Park
for practices, and having to use sub-standard, privately owned fields, just so
my children can have a chance to excel in the things that they like most in
life, sports! I see fields like the ones at Dug Gap (GO DUG GAP!), and then I
think about the fields that we have and the fields that we have lost, due to
middle school expansion, it just really upsets me that the community with the
most children has the poorest recreational facilities. This has been a long
time coming and all I can say, is... It's about time someone did something
about it! Please help us. Our athletes need something to be proud of other
than their excellent athletic abilities, great enrollment numbers, and fan turn-
out at their games. Thank you for your time.
For the last 3 years my son has participated in sports at Westside. We have
continually ask why we had so few fields and shabby facilities. Our community
has the money and volunteers to see the complex built. We need to work to
improve the situation. I hope the commissioners are bombarded with the
petitions so they will see this pressing need can not be put off any longer.
Our fields could have sponsors around the fence line in order to help with
funding. Community support is here. Put us to work.
We need the Westside Park. It is not fair to our children that we have to
drive 30+ miles for every practice and game they have. Our children deserve
to have the same treatment as the rest of the county! Please bring the park to
the Westside area not only for our children but our community as well.
I am in the second grade. It is very hard for me to practice at 9. I am very
tired during ball season. My family doesn't like to drive 35 minutes to
Edwards park for my practices. I wish we had a nice place to play like other
areas do.
It would be great to actually be able to take my kids to the park without
having to drive a long way, and having clean environment for them to play in. I
totally support the building of the park. It is a great idea.
Please help out the community for the children. They need a place to keep them
out of trouble!
We Have been waiting on a park in Westside for years, would be nice to see one
here before my kids graduate high school.
I agree, We need this park. The facility we have now was Great in 1967.
Westside is in dire need of a ball field and has been since my son who is now a
Senior played there.
As a mother of 3 youths in sports, I have a hard time getting them back and
forth to practice and games when they are all practicing or having a game in
Westside. It is practically impossible to get them to their destinations all
over the county. For example, I had a tee ball player who needed to be a the
'friendship' field in Westside and then 30 minutes later I had a child that
needed to be at Edwards Park (30+ minutes away) and then another child that had
a game at Eastbrook (45+ minutes away). Without friends and family to help, it
would be impossible to have all the kids in all the places they needed to be.
Other communities have beautiful facilities, but what about Westside? Visitors
can even tell you that our facilities are substandard facilities. We have
porta-potties because our bathrooms don't work. Half the time our fields don't
drain well. If it was not for community volunteers, the upkeep on our 2
existing fields would not get done. I don't even know that!
the school keeps the fields up. We have been asking for new ball fields for
years and heads always turn the other way, but when new ball fields were needed
in Pleasant Grove, they got at least 8 fields without any questions asked. Are
the children of Westside not as important as the children of other Whitfield
County communities?
My son plays three sports for Westside Elementary and for three years I have
complaining about our facilities. May one of you should come and see our
sporting facility and compare it to the other school. We lack in comparison.
Please consider giving us a place we can be proud to call our own!!!! Our
children deserve this. Thanks
Westside is in dire need of a good ball field for our kids and grandkids to
play ball.
After "hearing" for "years" that the county was planning a new recreational
center for the Westside School District, it has never happened. WHY? With the
largest elementary school in the county and the high number of those students
who participate in sports it is a SHAME that this has not been made a
priority. We drove almost 20 miles round trip each time our son had T-Ball
practice. I was appalled that he was having to practice on a make-shift field.
There was NO BATHROOM facilities, and no grocery store or service station close
enough to use. As a tax payer and as Grandparents raising grandchildren we
feel the time for our own facility is long overdue.
I am a mother of three athletic children. Driving all over the county to
practices is tough. As a mother and teacher, I am also concerned when
practices are held late, on school nights, due to field availability. New
athletic facilities in the Westside area are definitely needed.
New athletic facilities are needed in the Westside area. Many other
schools in the county have several fields available for practices and games.
As a teacher and mother of three, I worry about children having to practice
late, sometimes after 9:30 on school nights, due to availability of
fields/gyms. We are long over due for new athletic facilities in our
community.
Our community is rapidly growing, and Westside is in need of new athletic
facilities. I have three children, and they were on 3 different baseball teams
due to their ages and gender. My wife had to travel several miles for all
practices. Many times practices could not be held because of scheduling
difficulties. When you have approximately 13-15 softball/baseball teams and
only 2 fields (which belong to the middle school), it is extremely difficult to
get in any practices. Please help our community meet the needs of youth who
need adequate athletic facilities.
we need a better ball field facilities. we have more ball teams in the county
and we have the sorriest ball fields in the county. I have been a softball
coach for the past 6 years and my ball team has had to travel across town just
to practice. I don't think it is right we have to travel 30-40 minutes from home
to practice. our ball fields are junk compared to most of the fields in the
county. when it rains here at Westside the teams either have to wait a couple
of days to practice or practice in fields of water up to your ankles. I would
love to see new ball fields here at Westside. by the time we get it if we do my
kids will never get to use it.
It was my understanding that almost five years ago the "Watershed Lake"
property on Mill Creek was DONATED to the county for the sole purpose of
building a much needed recreational facility complete with ball fields.
However, the county sold this property to investors to build homes on. WHY WAS
IT SOLD??? This community is long overdue a facility to meet the needs of our
children and the community as a whole. As tax payers we hold our county
commission accountable to see that the promises that have been made to us for
ten years become a reality.
32 years ago I moved to the Westside area and started the 7th grade. At that
time the facilities were sufficient for the local population in the 1970's. As
kids we had what we needed and were proud of our school. Today someone needs to
look at the calendar and realize that this is 2007. Next they need to ride to
the Westside facilities and take a good look.
They should be embarrassed as I am and probably a lot of other people to look at
what our kids have to use for their enjoyment. Surely we pay enough taxes to
get more than what I see.
Please help us! If not us help our kids!!!
The Westside Community is in bad need of suitable practice and playing
facilities for youth baseball (softball), football and soccer. As a volunteer
coach in the past, I found it extremely inconvenient for myself and my players
to have to drive out to the Walker County Line or to Edwards Field to have
practice. Please vote to give the children of the Westside Community a
central, safe and modern facility for recreation and sports.
We Have been waiting to many years for this problem to be addressed. It's about
time you guys did something. We need this park for kids today, quit making
excuses.
Justify this project the same way you did the courthouse and jail.............
OVERCROWDING!!!
My daughter will be in school before long and will without a doubt be in sports
and this would be a great thing from her to be part of.
I would like this project to be started before my child enters Westside School
district in Fall 2007. Our youth deserve better in this community.
I think its time that the Westside area gets a park. It would be good to have.
The students would really enjoy it!!! The Community needs something like the
surrounding areas have. A park with adequate facilities with restrooms and a
track field and ball fields. Our children that run track have to go all the
way to the other side of the county to run on a special field for track. I
really hope you take this time to realize its time our Community gets this.
I have coached played and been involved in the Westside area for years now and
it seems that our community has always had inferior fields and resources and
something needs to be done...not only am I a tax payer I also vote and will be
presenting this to other voters in the area
Thank you for taking the time to read my comments. First, as a parent, my
biggest concern with our sports facilities is the lack of them and the late
hours / travel time required to use other available facilities. We have to
travel all over the county to practice, many times resulting in late nights (on
school nights). Also from a parents perspective, I worry about my kids' safety
(field quality, travel distance, poor or no restrooms, lack of fences at
"makeshift" fields, etc). As a coach, we try to do the best that we can with
what we've got. However, sometimes its tough hitting ground balls between the
yawns! As a member of the community, I want to say that a modern, top-notch
recreational facility will only enhance our quality of life. You can't go
wrong investing in our youth, and new recreational facilities will not only
serve as this investment, but it will also make this area a better place for
all its residents. Looking forward, consider all of the current construction going on and look at the new developments that are starting - many
of which are in Westside. Now is the time to prepare for the future; the
"problem" is not going away. One last comment - of course the main question is
how we will pay for it. I can only tell you that this effort has my full
support. I will also tell you that it is your responsibility to the citizens
of this community to make this happen. Simply look at the numbers. From
community population, school enrollment, and current / future development, to
ball teams, ball fields, travel times, etc. - there is no doubt that action is
required here, and now is the time.
Thank You
*I also want to take this time to thank each organization, church, or
individual that has given of their resources and their facilities to help the
children of Westside. From Friendship Field, "The Stadium at Capehart Rd", and
various church gyms, we thank you for all that you have done, and continue to
do, for the youth of the Westside community.
My children had the luxury of growing up in Albany which is a model for the
State of Georgia for Youth Athletics and facilities--an area in SW Georgia
whose economic growth has been compared to third world countries. Yet the
citizens of Albany found a way to fund World Class Youth programs.
My grand children have not been so lucky, having grown up on Dalton's Westside,
where commissioners apparently believe more funding for jails is better than
more funding for deterrence. This Fall I was forced to leave in the middle of
my grandson's football game at Westside to find adequate restroom facilities
for my 72 year old wife. Crumbling facilities affect the aged as well as the
young. Fortunately, I did not see any commission members there.
I have 2 children involved in athletics. It is sad that I have had to choose
to participate in Dalton city rec activities to allow them to play and practice
on decent fields. It is also sad to say that the drive to Al Rollins Park and
the City Rec Dept. are closer than most of the fields they have had to travel
to when they did play county sports. 8 and 10 year old children should not be
playing at 9:00 at night just because they couldn't get a field or gym any
earlier. That doesn't include the 20 - 30 min drive time. Our children should
be able to participate in and enjoy sports without worrying about sacrificing
school performance by being tired from late practices and/or games. Our current
facilities are embarrassing and deplorable. Our county commissioners should be
ashamed of themselves for allowing this travesty to have gone on for so long
when the need is obvious and will only worsen as our community grows.
I will not let my children use the restrooms at the Westside ballpark because
they are not fit to use. We also have to travel at least a 30 minute drive to
practice. I think Westside is a wonderful place to live and I would love to see
a new recreational complex built for all the young athletes.
It is rather disgraceful the fields and the facilities that our children play
on. I go home to use the restroom before I use the facilities available. The
fields are totally inadequate for the amount of play time that these kids have
on them. I had to drive out to Edwards Field from here when my son was 6 to
have a field available to practice on. We almost quit it was so terrible.
I have lived in Rocky Face since we moved here 9 years ago and have been very
disappointed in the lack of support that the county has given this area. When
it came time to send my daughter to Middle School she begged me not to send her
there due to the horrible condition of that school. We took her out of the
district. It took parents complaining and bringing the news channels to get
your attention to make a change. What will it take here? A child being hurt?
You make the decision.
ANYTHING WOULD BE BETTER THAN THE FACILITIES NOW. MAKE SURE THEY HAVE WORKING
RESTROOMS!
I have grown up and lived in Westside all of my 40 years, except during my time
in the USAF. My oldest child is now 15 and my youngest 12. They have both
played softball at Westside. My youngest is still playing on the WSM Softball
team and the Rec league. I am greatly saddened to know that they will have both
passed through the same great schools that I did and will someday realize that
the "play fair" way we have raised them is not what is practiced by the "adult
leaders" in our community. Molly no longer asks "why do we have to travel all
the way to Edwards Park for practice or games?" She no longer complains about
having to use the pitiful port-a-potties at the ball field. She doesn't ask why
the tire is flat on the pitching machine or why it only runs at max speed. She
doesn't ask why our game is being delayed because we can't find a pitching
rubber for the field. She doesn't ask why there is more dirt/mud on the
pavement around the field than there is on the field. !
She's gotten used to hearing her coach say at practice, "Just pretend 1st is
over here. We don't want anyone to break their neck slipping in this mud pit."
She has quit complaining about only getting to play 6 or 7 out of 14 scheduled
games in rec league because when it rains a little the fields are still too
muddy. Even DAYS later. She even learned that she needed to recognize more
than just the difference in size to avoid throwing a rock back in to second on
field 2. All these things have fallen by the wayside. They've taken a
backseat to questions like. "What's a County Commissioner?" "What do they
do?" "Why is N Whitfield's Football STADIUM so nice?" "Why did they get
Edwards Park?" "Doesn't anyone care?" "I GET TO VOTE WHEN I'M 18, RIGHT?"
Well, there is one thing I'm proud of when other teams come to play us at "The
Junkyard". No, there are well over 300 things I'm proud of. Our athletes!!!
Despite the setbacks, the bias, the inattention, shortage of fields, available
practice time/space and the pitifully embarrassing facilities we have to call
"HOME", Our ATHLETES still know how to play The Game. Whichever it may be. We
still win titles, trophies and are a force to reckoned with anytime someone
wants to call us out. In retrospect, perhaps I should thank you all
............ for helping us teach our kids that brick, mortar chain link fencing
and indoor plumbing don't make you a ROCKET! No, it's the things my Dad and
his friends left on the farms of Westside and on these fields at Westside High
School in the early 60's. BLOOD, SWEAT, TEAMWORK, DISCIPLINE, INTEGRITY,
CHARACTER, WORK ETHIC, HEART, COURAGE, GRIT, TALENT AND ABILITY. That's
Westside. Yes, I hope I've made you think about helping our kids. !
But ....... if not, you can rest assured ......... they can, and will, still
bring it! And, when they're in our shoes a few years from now, they'll know
why they have a burning in their heart to run for a seat on the board of
commissioners and if things haven't improved, they'll know how to guide their
children to be strong in life.
Its not right for our children to have to ride 30 minutes just to go to a
practice. I feel like our children are being deprived of having there own new
equipment and fields to play on. Its not right for other Whitfield County
Schools to have a park of there own and us being one of the only ones left not
having one of our own. Our children deserve just as much as any other schools
in the county.
I think that the children of Westside should be created as equal as the other
schools around this area.
Dear Commissioner,
I built a home in this community three years ago, and have become more
and more involved in youth athletics every year. I have three children at
Westside Elem., and all three are involved in baseball/softball, and other
sports. I have coached for the past couple of years, and it has been a
challenge. The lack of fields has forced us to practice in peoples yards and
drive long distances to obtain a field. Myself and fellow coaches, friends, and
family would do anything we can to help you push this forward. The facilities
at Westside are an embarrassment to our community. We have been left behind in
this matter.
I have been coaching for almost five years at the West Side ball fields. We are
always struggling for equipment and always working on the ball fields. It would
really be nice to have new fields and equipment. I have spent a numerous amount
of money out of pocket to get to even play in the regular season. Which I don't
mind doing because it is for the kids of the community. Just once it would be
nice for you to give something back to us. We really need new fields,
restrooms, concession stands, and equipment. So I am asking for help from you.
It's amazing to me that this petition even needs to exist. It's disgusting to
see the bias that is so obvious. We realize that not all of this current board
of commissioners are a part of the original problem here. The question now is,
are you going to be a part of the solution? The county built Edwards Park for
the North Whitfield community and even maintains it. We can't even get indoor
plumbing with operational restrooms. I wonder if someone coming from outside
the community were to see what has happened here if their jaws wouldn't just
drop. Unable to believe they were actually still in the same county.
Now, IF this gets fixed, it looks like we're going to get shoved out by the
county landfill. I wonder how many wrecks there will be on that narrow curvy
road when vanloads of kids double or triple the traffic flow down through
there? Is anyone even thinking about their decisions or just throwing darts at
the wall?
My three children range in age 5-7 yrs old...I see many years ahead of us in
sports-related activities. I support the need to have a park in our area of
Whitfield County, if only to encourage the camaraderie of the youth in this
community!
Please address this terrible situation, our youth are fine young people and
certainly deserve the same type facilities as are offered to the other youth
of Whitfield County.
I left WestSide in 1975. The athletic facilities have done very little but
deteriorate. My grand kids are using the same worn-out field houses that their
mother used and the ones we used in high school look like a shut down filling
station. It's past time, this should have been taken care of years ago...
We desperately need more facilities at Westside. There are so many children who
are active in Youth Athletics. They deserve better than what we have at the
present time.
My grandchildren are attending the westside schools and involved in sports. The
sports fields there are in need of extensive repairs. If you ever were to
attend a game there in the summer, the smell of the porta johns is unbearable
even to have to walk by . No one wants their children exposed to these
unsanitary conditions. Around the press box and concession stand is raw dirt
and puddles of water and mud is everywhere when there has been a rain. I
sincerely hope the commissioners will look into this matter and I am sure there
will be something done to make this a better place for our youth.
THE WESTSIDE ATHLETICS EXPANSION PROJECT IS A MUST FOR THIS COMMUNITY
We've needed a new field for years in our area even I played ball, it's
embarrassing when other teams from other areas visit us.
the westside community needs a better place for the youth of this community .
it is embarrassing for other teams to come and play against westside . since
they don't even have restrooms fit for pig to use . and every thing at the
ball fields is rundown looking . then you have t-ball teams practicing at
Edwards park , and you have 14 and under fast pitch softball playing home games
at tunnel hill
Let's get this done soon as possible.
This is my grandchild.
I played sports at Westside as a child, as well as my sister. Now my son is
playing there. I can remember 14 years ago practice times were tough to get
then, but now it is ridiculous. I remember playing on those fields 14 years
ago, and having holes in the outfield, and rocks all over the infield. Think
about how rough those fields are now. I can remember 10 years ago, the entire
community getting all excited because we thought we were going to get a new
ball park, and how disappointed we were when we found out we were getting
Edwards Park. A location 30 minutes away, that really benefits Varnell more
than anyone. Another point that I don't think anyone realizes is that it is not
only hard for our kids to play on these fields without the proper practice time
in but it is also embarrassing when other communities come to WestSide (our
home) and you have to listen to them talk about how nasty it is there. How
ridiculous it is that we don't have running water for the bathrooms,!
and have to use porta toilets. It is sad that our children are expected to
take pride in themselves, and in their sports achievements but we don't give
them the facilities to be proud of. Another thing is that how hard is it for me
as a parent to get up every Sat. morning and drive all the way to Dug Gap b/c
my son plays football. Almost every game that he had this year was played at
Dug Gap b/c we had so many football teams. It was hard to understand the day
that the 2 Westside 7 & 8 year old boys played each other and they played at
Dug Gap???? What is wrong with this picture????? I am not sure if the County
Commissioners have children that play at Westside or not, but this is our home,
and these are our children. Please think long & hard about this. We owe it to
our kids!!!!
Westside is a large community and needs a facility for students instead of
having to drive across the county.
Westside has been in need of a park (ball fields) for many years. We have
watched as other schools and communities in the area have recreational parks
built and feel that it is time for Westside to be allowed the privilege of
having a nice facility for our kids to have a place to play and practice.
My children do not have access to sports. My husband and I are teachers, and
we are unable to get our children to fields at appropriate times. It is a
shame that a growing community such as this one has been left out of the
recreational field. Money should be spent on our side of the county. It is
growing in leaps and bounds.
Yes, I do think something needs to be done about the problem with the facilities
in the Westside Community. I am about to be 23 years old and I played on those
fields from the time I was 5 till I was to old to play. I remember the
bathrooms not working or being so nasty that you could not even go in them. The
fields being so bad you had to watch what you were doing out there so no one
would get hurt. You only had 2 fields, that you had to share with all other 26
teams or however many there was that year. On school nights you were not
getting home till 10:00 or after and still had to get bathes and ready for
bed. I know it was bad cause my dad coached for years in the Westside Community
and me, my sister and now my nephew and some day my kids all play and played on
these fields. Not only is softball and baseball but, my nephew plays football
as well. They play almost every game at Dug Gap cause there is no were for them
to play at Westside. Sure Dug Gap don't mind they love to take our money and put it into there fund for there Community. We just need to
stop and think about our children and there children's future. If not then before
long Westside won't even have a Community anymore, because everyone might just
start taking there kids somewhere other then Westside to play sports, if you
don't get a new facility with better things. A concerned parent!
As a Westside alumni, I feel that a new facility for our children is a
necessity. A new facility would encourage children and teens to become apart
of an honorable activity (sports etc.) and spare them from becoming involved in
an activity that could be detrimental to their growth and development (drugs,
gangs, etc.).
I feel that a new activity complex is vital to our community. In the past, I
have taken the position of coaching a rec league baseball team for the county
(specifically Westside/Tunnel Hill). It is almost an embarrassment to our
community when you compare other complexes (city) to our facilities. Our
children deserve the best.
I believe that the youth need to have an area to play sports. I am a teacher
and see many kids involved with various sports. This keeps them occupied in a
positive way, teaches them teamwork, and provides exercise in which our kids
and adults need more of. Adequate facilities should be a priority in my opinion
especially if it benefits our communities children.
Thank you
Please help our children. It is so important to keep our children active.
Without having the field to play in it is virtually impossible for children to
play sports. There are many parents that can no cart their children here and
there. Wouldn't it be great to have such a wonderful place to call ours. More
children would be involved and less trouble would be created.
For years, we have been lacking in recreational facilities in our part of the
county. In the spring, we have more teams that sign up to play ball than any
other part of the county, but we only have two ball fields at the middle
school. Our fields and facility there are quite frankly embarrassing compared
to other fields and facilities in other parts of the county. We owe it to our
children to provide a recreation park here in Westside that will meet our needs
and will be something that we as parents and our children can be proud of.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Although I am concerned about what this new facility will cost, especially to
the taxpayers, I do believe our children deserve to have a safe place to play
and practice. I attended Westside, and the facilities were in poor shape then.
I have visited there in the past few years, and I would not allow my children
to play due to safety. Our children deserve this new facility.
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