Demolition of baseball fields upsets Riverton residents (video)

Recreation They say city sped up demolition; players mother starts petition to include diamonds in new park.

Tegan Melanson used to go to Rivertons Main Park to play baseball, but now, when the 8-year-old visits, he just bawls.

The park is the former home of Utah Select, an accelerated for-profit baseball league, which involved more than 1,700 youths from all over Utah. Tegan has been playing in the league for the past four years.

The park, and its five baseball diamonds, were demolished on July 5, one month earlier than scheduled, to make way for a new park that does not include any diamonds.

Some residents are upset that the city did not keep the Aug. 15 demolition date previously announced in Rivertons June newsletter, especially because they were under the impression that they would still have an opportunity to provide input at a City Council meeting on Tuesday.

Teveka Melanson, Tegans mother, believes that there has not been enough public input, so she started a petition to put the citys plan and the residents plan to a vote.

Before, she wanted to save the diamonds. Now, Melanson and her supporters have shifted their focus to get some baseball diamonds included in the new park.

She urges even those who do not want baseball diamonds at the new park to sign the petition so they have the opportunity to provide input on what the new park will look like, especially because they will be paying for it.

"Even if you vote to not have baseball diamonds, at least you had the chance to vote," Melanson said.

Melanson will be at the south side of the park, at 12300 S. 1300 West, at 10 a.m. Saturday to collect petition signatures. The petition is only open to those registered to vote in Riverton. To force the vote, the petition must have 20 percent or approximately 4,000 valid signatures.

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Demolition of baseball fields upsets Riverton residents (video)