The City of Berkley hosts two very active baseball programs on its Community Field #1, located between Gardner and Robina. Our school district doesn’t have baseball fields on its property, making Berkley one of the only communities in our area with school teams and community groups that both use the city-owned fields. The Dads Club has been running baseball leagues in Berkley for more than 75 years, utilizing Community Field #1 for its practices and games, and the Berkley Schools varsity, junior varsity, and middle school baseball teams also use this field for their baseball season.

Over the last year, the City and the Berkley Schools have been working to find a creative opportunity to bring improvements to Community Field #1. Many helpful and productive conversations have taken place about a potential long-term lease of the field to the Berkley Schools while remaining a community partner, but the City Council is not ready to move forward with a new agreement at this time. In light of the City’s failed millage request in May 2023 and significant leadership changes across multiple levels of our organization, the City Council is taking a step back to evaluate Berkley’s overall financial picture, including a comprehensive facilities and capital needs assessment that includes all Parks and Recreation facilities and other City assets. We appreciate the efforts made so far by all parties involved and expect the conversation about a new agreement with the Berkley Schools around Community Field #1 to continue in the future.