'Take the $ amount of the winning bid and divide that by the number . . . signed to play in all the leagues. Add those $'s --- call it a service fee --- to the amount that we pay for a place in NYO. I imagine it will be somewhere between five and twenty dollars per kid. Encourage people to use it, have tee shirts for sale . . .'I ride the NYO jitney,' have a contest to name the jitney. I would even consider eliminating some of the parking spaces near the snack bar. Negotiate for the rights to put ads on the jitney. Who knows, (it) may end up being cheaper just to buy one outright and provide for monetizing ability for NYO.' 

Ken Young encourages parkers to use the Red/Path lot on Powers Ferry Road between the amphitheater and the horse park by incenting them to 'earn Red Lot points.'

In a wide-ranging and thoughtful email, Todd Fryburger, acknowledges the complexity of the problem and calls on all who have a stake in Chastain to play a role. 'This is not just an NYO issue,' he says. 'Users of Chastain . . . have come to recognize the value of this asset . . . brought back from the disrepair of the 1990s. We now have a unified front wanting to see Chastain Park succeed.'

Todd calls for a parking facility to be built in the 'bowl between the (NYO) gymnasium and the golf clubhouse.' He describes the parking along Wieuca as a 'disaster waiting to happen' and urges limited parking on the street, calling for those lanes to be 'repatriated for non-motorized multi-use.' He says street-legal golf carts would help, but says a better answer would be car-pooling. 'Why can't everyone actually FILL that Suburban with players and spectators? What if we made all surface lots at NYO permit only? It would certainly make people think about maximizing utility.' He also endorses a shuttle to run between NYO and distant lots. 'I am certain young kids would LOVE to ride the NYO train.'    

And one NYO parent, who asked that her name be withheld, urges some soul-searching: 'NYO contributes to the parking problem by continually expanding programs when we don't have the capacity. I would offer that the youngest t-ball programs remain with church leagues (where my two sons started). The church leagues could be 'NYO minor leagues' with a partnership with NYO on skills development, PCA (Positive Coaching Alliance), etc. But the players/cars would be offsite, and NYO would start with age 5 again.

'I would also say that we should consider capping the number of players/teams per baseball and softball season like we do with basketball. Bragging about record numbers and then delivering parking lectures to the parents feels inconsistent. Hold to the registration deadlines and/or cap the program.

'On the flip side, I think the parking improvements made last year --- particularly the emergency access spots and increased handicapped parking --- were outstanding. The only thing I think could improve the situation along West Wieuca is if the city or (Chastain Park) Conservancy could paint the curbs red for where no parking is allowed (by the fire hydrants, near intersections) which I think could improve safety.'

Let the discussion continue!

Jay Smith, the Dugout Doings author, believes readers who write contribute to a better NYO