Meadowlawn seeks to stave off extinction

By Jarrett Guthrie
Published August 11, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - Meadowlawn, Florida's oldest chartered Little League organization, will host a reorganization meeting today in hopes of resurrecting the league and saving it from closure due to diminished players.

The league started in 1949 and was one of the first to be chartered outside the state of Pennsylvania where Little League was founded in Williamsport in 1939. Meadowlawn once had nearly 800 players, but last season saw that number fall to under 50.

The league, located at 7390 18th St. N. and part of District 5, has had to deal with vandalism in recent years and the deterioration of its older facilities.

The focus of today's noon meeting is electing a new board of directors as the league looks to rebuild. Meadowlawn relies entirely on volunteers and has no city funding.

All board members from the 2006-07 year are invited to vote on every position in the league, and the meeting is open to the public. District 5 administrator Swanee Franklin said she hopes this meeting will spark a community interest and find the right people to help keep the league open and building for the future.

"The people in the community need to get together and redo this park and get it back to where it used to be," Franklin said. "The hopes are with this meeting that we can elect a new board who are capable and willing to start rebuilding the league with the help of the community."

Franklin said with all the problems the league has faced, the biggest is finding the right people to take on the job.

"They are in need of community assistance," Franklin said. "The fields will need to be redone, they need to be relit, they need new sod, the concession stands. Other than having the property, they are going to have to start brand new and rebuild."

[Last modified August 10, 2007, 20:21:50]