Sienna Softball Association: Welcome

"Making Dirt Look Good Since 2008!"

To:   Sienna Softball Association ("SSA") Families

From:   SSA Board of Directors

Re:   SSA Departure from Camp Sienna Fields

It is with a heavy heart we find ourselves writing this letter to the SSA Community.  As it currently stands, as of November 30, 2012, SSA will no longer be offering softball at Camp Sienna.  It is disheartening to have to share this news with you all, as it has been our greatest pleasure to watch the girls of Sienna grow both as athletes and as young ladies through the game of softball.  It is our hope the following information will help you understand the difficult path the league has been on in the past months and give you some insight into the issues that led to SSA being removed from the fields at Camp Sienna.

In August of 2012, SSA received a letter from Sienna Plantation Levee Improvement District (SPLID) - the current owners of Camp Sienna.  A copy of this letter can be found here.  As you will read, this letter notified SSA that SPLID would not be providing SSA with a User Agreement for the Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 seasons but would be allowing us to continue acting as Users of the softball fields in Camp Sienna on a "month to month" basis until November 30, 2012 so that SSA could, pursuant to SPLID's letter, "relocate the league."  The letter also provided that the month to month arrangement for the fall season may be terminated FOR ANY REASON with 30 days notice.

Upon receipt of the letter, the Executive Committee of the SSA Board of Directors met and determined it was in the best interest of the girls not to publicize the content of that letter, as we did not want to risk giving the SPLID any reason to invoke the 30 day notice provision and remove SSA from the fields in the middle of the fall season.

Once the fall season was underway, the SSA Executive Committee made several attempts, both directly and via back channels, to negotiate with the SPLID Board (Ken Beckman, "Bucky" Richardson, and Mike Johnson) and their attorney (Richard Muller.)  These efforts proved fruitless.  As such, the SSA Board moved forward with investigating the options for relocating the league as directed by the SPLID.

As SSA was moving forward with negotiations for use of softball fields outside of Sienna, we were contacted by softball leaders in the Sienna Community and were told that the SPLID was now asking verbally that specific SSA Board Members resign from SSA as a condition for SSA receiving a User Agreement for Spring 2013.

Why would the SPLID first ask SSA to relocate the league and then deliver the message that certain individuals were targeted for required resignation?  Why would SPLID insert themselves into the governance of one of many independent, non-profit organizations with a User Agreement for facility usage in Camp Sienna?

It is our opinion the targeting of specific SSA Board Members and the refusal to provide SSA with a Spring 2013 User Agreement without their resignation is the result of the actions of the SSA Board in the Spring of 2012.  SSA Board Members were compelled to attend SPLID Board meetings and raise questions about the unfair and unjustified distribution of field time within Camp Sienna - - - field time approved by the SPLID.

In the Spring of 2012, as you may recall, there were multiple times when baseball teams were practicing on softball fields while baseball fields - in plain view - remained vacant and unused.  The fact this was happening while softball teams were doubling up on a field to practice was unsettling.  The SSA Board had success at having some of the softball field time that was reserved but not used by baseball teams returned for softball use.  Those baseball teams were consequently scheduled on the available baseball fields.

It is our understanding a new organization is being formed to offer softball in the future at Camp Sienna.  It has always been the mission of SSA to promote girls fastpitch softball, and we are hopeful softball will continue to be available to the girls of Sienna on the three softball fields.  To that end, we have made a proposal to the individuals we have been told are involved in starting the new organization.  A copy of the proposal can be found by clicking here.  It is our belief this proposal meets the criteria set forth by the SPLID that SSA no longer be a User of the fields in Camp Sienna and that targeted Board Members not be in any position of power in any organization that has a User Agreement.  The proposal also allows SSA Board Members to comply with the bylaws of the SSA organization and fulfill their fiduciary obligations to the physical and monetary assets of the league.  Most importantly, we believe the proposal provides the newly forming softball league with a great foundation on which to build a successful league for the girls of Sienna.

As parents who have had players in the league, we wanted to share this proposal with you so you would know first-hand what was being proposed and how we all ended up with these tough decisions on our doorstep.

We hope you all will take the time to read the attached documents, and if you have questions, we hope you will contact us so we can provide answers directly to you.  We wish the newly forming league the best as they step forward to provide softball in our neighborhood and that they do not face the same struggles SSA faced in its final two seasons in Camp Sienna, during which time softball field space was given to boy's baseball teams.  Because adequate field space will be necessary for any league to survive in Sienna, we are hopeful the SPLID Board, as the stewards of Camp Sienna, will recognize the need to allow the newly formed softball league to utilize 100% of the available field time on Camp Sienna's three softball fields.

Meanwhile, SSA is still continuing a pursuit for local softball fields to call home.  If all goes well, SSA may be able to secure a facility with four very nice softball fields.  The facility is just outside of Sienna, yet closer to many Sienna residents than Camp Sienna.  However, we are unlikely to relocate in time to offer softball for this spring season.  Therefore, we recommend looking for the new softball league coming to Camp Sienna to soon be offering spring registration.

Contact SSA at SiennaSoftball@gmail.com.