BELLMEAD, Texas — Bellmead city councilmembers met with residents on Tuesday to discuss the potential of reviving Dugger Field to implement new little League Fields.
The field, once home to a landfill and later a softball complex, has sat empty for years.
Community members have been pushing for new Little League fields as the current ones in Lions Park suffer from drainage issues after rain.
"We need something to get them out on the fields," said Davis Castaneda, who brings his 10-year-old daughter to Lions Park to practice softball. "They're scared to play on some of these fields."
A potential plan shared by the city would replace the old fields with a recreation center and put five new softball and baseball fields at the current site Dugger Field, off of Pecan Lane.
Some residents have expressed concerns over light pollution and increased traffic that the plan would bring to the neighborhood. The majority of those in attendance on Tuesday, however, expressed support of the project.
Susan Zumbuehl, who lives beside the lot, told councilmembers she wouldn't mind the extra traffic and noise for a good cause.
"Right now it's empty. It's quiet, it's peaceful. But it needs to be put to use," Zumbuehl said.
The council is set do decide if they want to move forward with the project in the coming months. The plan would then need to be funded by a voter-approved bond program.
City manager Yost Zakhary told councilmembers, if approved, it would most likely be on the ballot in the May 2024 election.
