A decision on whether or not Pottsville Area Little League gets a zoning variance to transform a former private swimming pool into an indoor batting facility will have to wait at least another month.
A well-attended Pottsville zoning hearing last week ran long … like, really long … and had to be continued until late-September.
Pottsville Area Little League wants to transform the former Ivy Side swimming pool property on Mahantongo St. into an indoor batting building. The plan would call for filling in the swimming pool and constructing a pole building on the site.
The batting facility would essentially look like a garage with a turf field inside. It would include batting cages and could also be used for some light sports practices and drills.
Some neighbors of the property appear to be opposed to the project because of the amount of vehicular traffic going to and from the proposed building and due to the potential for noise issues.
The opposing side to this project didn’t get a chance to tell Pottsville’s Zoning Hearing Board about their concerns last week after the first stage of it carried on for 2 hours before it was announced that it’d have to be continued in September.
This hearing was already delayed a month because the Republican Herald newspaper allegedly failed to publish a Legal Notice advertising the hearing, even though the zoning board had paid for the required ad in July.
That upset many people last month who jammed into City Hall’s council chambers to witness that case and two other controversial zoning hearings.
What We Learned About the Little League’s Plans
During last week’s exhausting zoning hearing regarding this project, Pottsville Area Little League had a chance to lay out their plans for the Ivy Side property, if their zoning variance is approved.
The organization’s purchase of the swimming pool property is contingent on this plan getting approved. If not, Ivy Side will stay on the open market, where it’s been for about a year with only one other semi-interested party.
Pottsville Area Little League officials said last week that other locations for this indoor batting facility were considered – at Railway Park and at Rotary Little League’s primary grounds – but not feasible.
The indoor batting facility would be a 120×80-foot structure.
A goal for the building is to allow up to about 15 players practice in the facility at any given time. Batting would be the primary use but players could also use it for field and base running drills, too.
Little League officials said they’re also open to the idea of other sports using it, like football quarterbacks and receivers, cheer teams, and soccer teams.
Officials said there are no plans to allow birthday parties to use the proposed facility.
The building would likely be open no later than 8:30-9 p.m. on any given night.
To construct the building, the former Ivy Side pool, which was closed in 2023 due to a leak issue that would have cost nearly $250,000 to fix with a new liner, would be filled and the building placed on that land.
The Mahantongo St. property already has a sizable parking lot.
In order to address some of the concerns that those opposed to the project seem to have, the Little League’s attorney, Shane Hobbs, had two witnesses with strong connections to Ivy Side testify at least week’s hearing.
Jack Botto, a former member and neighbor to the swimming pool, attempted to allay any noise concerns people might have.
Botto fondly recalled parties regularly being held at Ivy Side. Those parties would often have far more than the 15 people the Little League said it might have at the proposed indoor batting cages.
Ivy Side’s past president and current board member Tara Grochowski said that during its busiest times, the poolside would be “towel-to-towel” and there would be overflow parking on Mahantongo St.
Those opposed to this proposed batting building have not yet had their chance to speak publicly. All we know now about their position is based on the questions posed to witnesses thus far by Ben Forbes, an attorney hired by a family in opposition to it.
Forbes asked numerous questions about noise coming from the building when it’s in use and the amount of traffic going to and from it.
The opposition will have their chance to speak more when this hearing is continued on Sept. 25 at City Hall.
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