Commission approves construction of new MBHS stadium
The California Coastal Commission finally approved the much-needed facelift to the Mission Bay High School football field on Jan. 10 at the Catamaran Hotel. The commission approved the San Diego Unified School Districts’ application to upgrade and rebuild the athletic facilities at MBHS, which includes the installation of larger bleachers and four 100-foot-tall stadium lights. The Coastal Commission’s approval was the “last hurdle to begin construction on our state-of-the-art sports stadium,” said MBHS Cluster president Jennifer Tandy said.
The approval of the lighting at the stadium is conditional with lighting restrictions for the first year but the district was able to negotiate one extra day per week for a later practice or a game under the lights, according to Tandy. MBHS will be able to petition to get all the lighting restrictions removed if an avian study determines there is no adverse impact to the birds near the high school.
Construction offices have already arrived on site but there is no date for an official groundbreaking or when construction will begin or will be completed. “Our field of dreams will become a reality,” Tandy said. — Keith Antigiovanni Mission Bay and La Jolla softball leagues become one
The Mission Bay Girls’ Softball League (MBGSL) and Coastal Bay Girls’ Softball League (CBGSL) in La Jolla have officially merged to become one league — under the CBGSL moniker — in a move to help promote softball for both the La Jolla and Pacific Beach communities.
“We are very happy to join with Coastal Bay to create a bigger, better league with a strong community base to promote softball starting at a very young age,” said Tom Paull of CBGSL. A steady decline in attendance and participation has caused a downsizing of teams in both leagues, but Paull said he believes combining into one league will help create a stronger cross-promotion for the future of youth softball in La Jolla and Pacific Beach. Prior to the merger, Paull, a Pacific Beach native and Mission Bay High School alumnus, was the president of the MBGSL, played Little League baseball at Mission Bay and under Coach Dennis Pugh at MBHS in the late 1970s.
Paull said he and the leaders of the CBGSL believe that by merging the two leagues, both communities can increase their participation and eventually help supply a pipeline — or “farm team” — of local athletes all the way up to the high school level for both Mission Bay and La Jolla high schools. Girls between ages 6 and 14 are eligible to play in the CBGSL with teams at the T-Ball level (6U), rookie (8U), junior (10U), senior (12U) and high school (14U).
Registration is going on now. For more information about registration or other questions, call (619) 300-7879 or email [email protected]. The season opens on Saturday, Feb. 22. — Keith Antigiovanni