Santa Maria Indians Coach Jimmy Malena says for the past two years, the facilities at Elks Field have been subject to vandalism, theft and homeless people sleeping in the bathroom.
He says as a result of their most recent break-in, high school softball teams across the city have been left without a pitching machine for their practices.
“We are here at Elks Field trying to revitalize baseball and softball in the community. We have just been running into some difficulties,” Malena said.
In the offseason for the Santa Maria Indians collegiate summer baseball team, local high schools use the field for fall games and practices.
Head coach Anthony Rohwedder says in recent years, issues surrounding homelessness have been their biggest obstacle.
“Every morning, you can almost be rest assured that in the restrooms, there will be one or two sleeping,” he told KSBY. “I can’t let anyone else get onto the property unless they go check.”
He says bathrooms at Elks Field are now left unlocked because of multiple incidents of doors being busted open and broken into.
“Just the vandalism of cutting fences to get to places that they don’t need to be getting to is really getting out of hand,” Rohwedder added.
Malena says this past week, burglars cut through fences around their storage trailer, stealing a $4,000 pitching machine.
“A lot of programs cannot afford a pitching machine,” he explained. “The fundraising we did to get that stuff that we have — bullpen and balls and bats and wooden things — when they get taken from us, it just hurts the kids in the community.”
“When you don’t have that tool, you have to find other means. By that, you will have other players throwing, and they are going to start getting sore. It is a chain reaction that just goes down the line. It is a tool used to save and give the hitter a better experience,” Rohwedder added.
Coach Malena says he has been in contact with police about the ongoing issues at Elks Field, noting that he understands the complexity of finding a resolution.
“The City of Santa Maria Police Department is aware of this. They are doing a great job but they can’t do it all. It happens late at night, it happens during the wee hours, everybody is asleep. It is a situation that is probably uncontrollable,” he said.
Meanwhile, Coach Rohwedder is calling for an end to the thefts and vandalism in an effort to help grow baseball in Santa Maria.
“They don’t want to deal with the homeless or vandalism that goes on here. I would like to see more of the town come watch baseball. Come have a bag of popcorn,” Rohwedder said.
Officials with the City of Santa Maria’s Recreation and Parks Department say they are working to address the matter as well, encouraging anyone who encounters misuse or illegal activity at city parks to report it to the police department.
This past summer, the Santa Maria City Council also voted to increase cleaning efforts at park bathrooms, including those at Elks Field.
