Church, Neighbors Settle on Game Plan for Ball Field

In response to residents’ complaints about noise, officials of a Mormon church in La Canada Flintridge agreed Tuesday to alter the layout of a church-owned softball field.

The plans call for the home plate, now situated near homes, to be moved next to Foothill Boulevard.

The church has agreed to end games at 7 p.m. on Saturdays, and residents were assured that noise will be kept under control. Previously, games had been allowed to end at 8 p.m. and start at 9 a.m., but residents had complained that games had begun earlier and lasted later than that. For their part, church officials had maintained that complaints about noise were unwarranted.

Church officials agreed to build a six-foot fence so that softballs would not go onto residents’ property and promised that the field would be “exclusively used by wards of the church for softball games only.”

Both sides said they were pleased with the agreement, which was put together by William F. Campbell, director of community development for the city, to resolve a 2 1/2-year dispute.

“I think it’s a fair agreement for the church and us,” said Marie Saum, who lives near the field. “If everything sticks, then we can live with it.”

Church officials said, however, that this season’s softball schedule may have to be canceled or shortened because of the changes.