The Davis Little League complex is located at the corner of F Street and Covell Blvd. The current site was built in 1954 when the city of Davis had a population of less than 9,000 people.

Today, the stated city population is around 64,000 people, nearly 7 times more people than in 1954. More people means more children. More children means more players. The population's impact on the current DLL facility is tremendous! DLL is in dire need of more playing fields!

The Davis Little League Board of Directors has been working with the city of Davis and other sports groups, such as AYSO, to find a solution. The Howat property site, located just east of Mace Boulevard, has been identified as the one viable option that will support DLL, AYSO, DYSL, DYSO and other youth sports.

Recommendation: Support the City of Davis and other Davis youth groups in developing a new multi-sports complex at the Howat site located east of the City on County Road 32A. The Howat multi-sports complex alternative best met the evaluation criteria. In the interim, Davis Little League will pursue the use of other dispersed sites such as Mace and Community Parks until the new facility is constructed.

Alternatives Considered: There were three broad alternatives that were considered 1) Do nothing, 2) Play at dispersed playing sites (interim solution) and 3) Develop a new site. Other new sites that were evaluated and rejected include the Lewis Homes (AKA Hunt Wesson) property, multiple properties adjacent to the golf course, Covell Center, the landfill, Nishi, Signature Properties, Stonegate Drainage Ponds, Grande School Site, Yolo County Grasslands Park and Harper Junior High School.

Evaluation Criteria Considered: The following criteria were considered during evaluation of the different alternatives: Land ownership; property size; City of Davis support; infrastructure; ability for developing partnerships to leverage limited resources; environmental constraints; financial; lighting restrictions; expansion; traffic; proximity to downtown; and bicycle accessibility.

Fiscal impact: The financial impact of the Howat site was analyzed by the City and determined to be the most viable of all the alternatives based on leveraging support of multiple youth groups and the Department of Public Works.

Risk(s): If a sports complex is not built, Davis Little League runs the risk of turning away players. The risks of a new site are primarily financial. Davis Little League is setting aside funding for capital infrastructure development of the site to mitigate this risk and will leverage City and other youth group resources.

Reasons DLL Needs the Howat Site

• The number of fields in the current facility is inadequate for DLL games and practices for all divisions; DLL does not meet the National standard for number of games in a week
• Current playing fields are undersized and do not meet the National standard for field size.
• Parking is inadequate
• Parking lot poses a serious safety risk due to high rate of traffic, U-turns and speeds.
• Fields must be maintained in baseball condition for safety and playability issues, something local parks will not offer.
• No additional lighting may be added to the lower level fields, increasing the safety risk due to dark conditions in early season games.
• DLL is unable to meet National Little League's minimum number of games per week due to the lack of fields.
• Cannot host the National Little League District All Star tournaments due to non-regulation field size. This results in a loss of revenue and goodwill toward other District 64 leagues who do host the annual tournaments because of proper fields.
• As of 2005, children of ages 7-9 have use of only 2 fields for 34 teams. The number of games per week is grossly inadequate and poses a scheduling nightmare for the DLL board.
• Kids ages 5-6 have NO FIELDS designated for T-ball and are relegated to Community Park, using open grass areas without baselines, dugouts, or fences for player/spectator safety. There were 25 teams in T-ball during the 2005 season.
• T-Ball players must cross a busy, high traffic intersection at F St. and Covell Blvd, often at peak evening commute time, to get back to the little league park
• Teams are forced to practice offsite to accommodate scheduled games, leaving them with inadequate practice facilities and competing for space with other youth sports groups.
• There are no provisions at other city park sites for bullpens, batting cages, restrooms, electrical outlets for pitching machines, etc., that are specific to the needs of baseball.
• With our increasing city population, DLL enrollment is increasing. Several teams carried up to 14 & 15 players each as opposed to the recommended 12 for optimal coaching, playing time and skill development. We cannot continue to accommodate more children without increasing the number of teams and we cannot increase the number of teams without increasing the number of fields.
• Without the new Howat Facility, we will be forced to turn away children and deny them the chance to play baseball in Davis.
• Significant research has been done over many years, looking at several options, multiple locations and the needs of current and future baseball in Davis. Without a doubt, the Howat site is the only location that meets all of DLL needs regarding space for multiple fields, ample and safe parking, future growth, ability to have lights, ability to host Little League District Tournaments

Q. Where is the Howat Site?
A. The site is approximately 1 mile East of Mace Ranch on County Road 32A.

Q. Who will use the Howat Site?
A. DLL, AYSO (soccer) and Davis Softball Association (DSA), Davis Youth Soccer League (DYSL)

Q. When could the new fields be ready to play on?
A. They could be ready as early as the 2009 season. It is anticipated that the EIR will be complete by January 2008 and that a construction contract could be under way in the Spring of 2008.

Q. How will the new fields be funded?
A. It is anticipated that the sale of the Civic field on B Street will pay for most of the grading and utilities of the entire site. It is anticipated that the sale of the DLL fields will fund most, but not all of the costs of the DLL portion of the Howat site. This will require negotiation between the City and DLL. DLL will probably have to raise some money for needed amenities. The amount has not been identified.

Q. How many fields will there be?
A. DLL will have room for eight 200-foot lighted fields and a grassy area for T-Ball. In addition, there is a plan to accommodate some 300 foot lighted fields for kids playing in the 13-16 year range.

Q. Who will construct the new fields?
A. It is hoped that the developer that purchases the DLL fields will construct the fields as part of the sale of existing DLL fields before the DLL fields are torn down.

Q. Who will manage the new fields, batting cages, etc.?
A. A new sports foundation will be created to manage the entire site. It is anticipated that each youth organization will have responsibility to manage their specific site, but will report to the new sports foundation. Each youth organization will have the opportunity to rent out the site in order to raise money.

Q. What amenities will be at the new site?
A. Whatever the youth organization can afford. It is hoped that most of DLL needs will be covered by the sale of the DLL fields.

Q. Will the fields be locked when Davis Little League is not playing?
A. It is anticipated that DLL will be responsible for managing its site. They could be locked and rent out during down times.

Q. Who will design the new fields?
A. It is anticipated that DLL will design the fields based on conceptual plan developed in conjunction with all the youth sports groups. The design will require some oversight/coordination with both the foundation and City.