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To the Editor:

Today I attended a Middle School baseball game, to support my grandson, in Murfreesboro between the Hertford County Bears and the Chowan County Bulldogs.

Upon arriving at the ballpark, as a resident and taxpayer of Hertford County, I was embarrassed for the condition of the facilities.

The restrooms were dark inside with vines growing up the outside walls.

The dugouts for the players had grass inside, knee-high for the young players, for both the home team and the visitors. Not sure about the home team’s dugout, but the visitor’s dugout had head high saplings growing in it.

The bleachers for the visitors were tilted forward but usable, and vines are growing up the fence that protects the spectators.

Behind the backstop, in the passageway to the visitor’s bleachers, there is a drainage culvert with a steel plate cover that is partially open. That’s a definite safety hazard.

I didn’t visit the girls’ softball field but would guess that it was similar to the baseball field.

I’m sure that some school or maintenance manager, supervisor, or school board member has a good explanation for the conditions that exist. The children deserve better care taken of facilities they are to use, and taxpayers deserve better care of their tax dollar investments.

I have attended games this spring in multiple counties, and I must say these at Hertford County Middle School were the worst condition of any I have seen.

I would invite this newspaper and citizens of Hertford County to visit the Middle School sport facilities and check them out for yourself.

Joe Askew

Ahoskie