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By Suzanne AuClair: GREENVILLE - Evidence of beer cans, cigarette butts and condoms, coupled with extremely bad language etched into the third base dugout of the baseball field has Greenville school leaders and some parents at wits end about how to stem what appears to be an ongoing problem. But doing away with the dugouts altogether was not the answer at Monday's school board meeting. The board voted 4-0 to table the removal of the dugouts and instead formed a union with some parents in the audience who said they would get volunteers together to help keep the place cleaned-up. Driving at least part of the decision to keep the dugouts and try the volunteer route was the unpopular removal of the school bleachers. “Those bleachers are a big topic around town,” school board member Janice Lavigne said at the meeting table. “Then, if we take away the dugouts – that's not great.” Frustrated Greenville athletic director Jeff Stafford added that the problems at the dugout have been an ongoing battle, in addition to the buildings being in poor shape and can't hold paint. Stafford suggested taking away the old dugouts and replacing them with ones of a better construction and simpler design that could easily be maintained. “I'm concerned for the little kids. As a parent, unless those dugouts are checked daily I personally would not want my child to be exposed to what's there. If they're gone, that concern is eliminated,” said Leslie Watt. “What's the long-term plan for the field?” One answer was to remove the dugouts. Another was to try to keep them clean and monitored. If all else failed, another idea was to gate it in, attach a door, and even place surveillance cameras in it. Overall, the board was willing to first try the volunteer route and see what happens. Lavigne said she would work with parents, including Jonathan Pratt, who stepped forward to say he thought eliminating the dugouts was a bad idea so would be willing to put a group of volunteers together. Superintendent Heather Perry said she would be willing to try volunteers, but added, “It's one thing to put this issue out to volunteers – we know that can take care of graffiti -- but it's a whole other ballgame to have someone come on a daily basis to make sure it is being utilized for what it's supposed to be. What happens a month from now – six months or a year from now?” For now, anyway, the school is willing to try volunteer monitoring.
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