Chardon Baseball Pitches Request to Munson for Use of Fields

January 22, 2026 by Ann Wishart

Chardon Baseball League President Mark Miozzi asked Munson Township Trustees Jan. 13 for shared use of township baseball fields with area travel teams, citing rising costs to lease other fields the league traditionally uses.

“For every three teams, we need one field,” he told trustees during a lengthy discussion on the history of field use.

The cost of leasing fields at the United Methodist Church has increased from $1 per year, with maintenance handled by the league, to a per-head fee, said Mike Pranno, a league board officer and Munson Township resident.

The league has agreements to use fields in Hambden and Chardon townships, Miozzi said.

He added the league previously had an agreement with the city of Chardon to use the Mel Harder fields for baseball and softball, but parking limitations became an issue.

Funding is also a concern, he said.

“There came a time when we spent $28,900 on field maintenance as a recreational baseball organization,” he said, noting the fields traditionally are used for league games from April through July 4.

“We put a whole bunch of money into fields that are beautiful when no one is on them,” he said.

Registration has decreased as other sports such as lacrosse, soccer and flag football now extend longer into the year, Miozzi said.

“It’s hard to find volunteers and sponsors,” he said. “We seem to lose them pretty quickly. Travel teams soak them up, too.”

Pranno said the travel teams previously leased fields from the league, but scheduling became a problem.

He added the league can no longer afford some of the fields it has traditionally used.

“We are going in the red,” he said, adding the league would like shared use of the Bushman and Corrigan fields at Munson Township Park, the Vetter and Kawalec fields behind the township fire station, and a field behind Munson Elementary School.

Using those fields would help ensure the youth sport survives, Miozzi said.

“We are trying to continue community baseball,” he said. “Having fields in Munson, Chardon and Hambden (townships) makes sense for our community. To have baseball continue in Chardon, something’s got to give.”

Township Trustee Andy Bushman asked for population numbers for the teams, including girls softball teams, so he can project costs and coordinate with league board members on potential solutions.

“It’s not like we’re going to make any money renting our fields,” he said, adding he will factor in the costs from the 2025 season.

“We drag the fields two times a week during the season,” Bushman said. “We’d rather have the professional (landscapers) do it.”

The township spent about $26,000 on fields in 2025, much of it for mowing, which would occur regardless of baseball use, Bushman said.

Dragging and capital improvements also contribute to the cost, he said.

Trustee Jim McCaskey said he supports an arrangement.

“We want to see the kids on the fields, put down their laptops,” he said. “We want to keep the fields going. It’s a balancing act. We want you to have some skin in the game but we want the teams here. We do want to keep the fields nice and the kids using them. We’re not afraid to put money in (the fields).”