Twenty-seven board members and parents were present at the June 7 state of the North Whidbey Little League meeting, and president Ken Tyler said 2007 was a pretty good year.

“We had 441 players and 36 teams this season,” he said. “This is 84 players and seven teams less than we had last year but we are just like the schools that also have fewer students attending. That’s why Clover Valley Elementary School is closing.”

Tyler said he was not too concerned about the lower number of players in the league.

“I could say it made things more manageable, but I will say we are in good shape both financially and physically,” he said.

Tyler said the league started out with approximately $21,000 in the bank and now has about $23,000.

“The $21,000 figure was in October, the end of our fiscal year. This money doesn’t include a $10,000 CD that we keep just in case something catastrophic happens or we get a wild idea we need to purchase or construct something,” he said.

Tyler said the two dugouts at Windjammer Park that were damaged in the windstorm were rebuilt and new roofs were installed on dugouts at Volunteer Park.

“We also put in a new clay pitching mound at Fort Nugent Park. The kids told me they really like it,” he said.

A major problem the league is going to have to deal with in the future is two of the playing fields at Windjammer Park are going to be eliminated.

“The city is going to be straightening out Bayshore Drive and the road will go all the way to the Whidbey Island Bank building,” Tyler said. “This means it will go straight through two of the baseball diamonds.”

Before this can happen however, new playing facilities must be built.

Under a city ordinance, no park can be eliminated until another is created.

Tyler said the city is considering constructing four baseball fields on property in the area of the old dump on Goldie Road.

“There are two soccer fields at the location, but those would be eliminated and baseball fields built,” he said. “There is also talk of the new fields having artifically-turfed surfaces and lights. This could happen as early as next year, but nothing is definite.”

At the present time, the North Whidbey Little League has seven separate fields for baseball and softball.

A suggestion was made about the possibility of having a baseball and softball complex to eliminate the problem of parents who have players in both leagues. This would eliminate having to travel around the city to watch games.

Tyler said that would be the ideal situation, but the “short fence” players would most likely be kept all at one location.

The NWLL is also making final preparations for hosting the district tournament set to begin July 7.