NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — McDonald's Owner and Operator Chris Rowe is donating 20% of sales at two McDonald’s locations to support Twin Hills Little League and the Paradise Hills community in their efforts to fund necessary construction projects and avoid a potential closure of the Twin Hills Little League’s baseball field.
So far, the little league has raised $18,000; that's just with community support.
They need $70,000 for construction on the retaining wall that the city has demanded the owners place near the batting cages.
Other repairs are needed at the facility, like broken bleachers, a decaying snack bar, and runoff issues on the baseball field every time it rains.
These are just some of the problems Twin Hills Little League has dealt with at every practice.
“And to see our numbers diminish and to see this place come down, we can’t allow that to happen,” said Giovanna, the league's president.
Even worse, the city of San Diego is asking the league to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket to fix it.
“For the kids and this community, they have nowhere to go to play baseball; this is the only field in Paradise Hills and for them to have somewhere to come and play. It’s tough to miss out on that Twin Hills experience,” said Peter, the league coach.
It's a privately owned field, with different little league organizations taking control over the years.
Peter said when they took over ownership, they were not made aware of the severity of the issues, which later turned into code enforcement notices.
The city is forcing the league to build a retaining wall near the batting cages, costing over $70,000.
“Past people that ran this park, a lot of things that were done not the proper way, not the right way. Not with the correct permits,” said
With no money to pay to mitigate the issues and no help from the city, little league players fear they won’t even finish the season.
“I feel disappointed, and I don’t know, I feel really sad,” said
CBS 8 called San Diego's Parks and Rec. to see what else families could do to keep the field open.
As of now, the department has not responded to our request for an interview.
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