Douglas County sports community works to preserve fairgrounds

The head of Raptors Baseball in Castle Rock said the organization has had to turn away 100 kids from playing baseball this season. If the proposed Douglas County expansion plan goes through, it would leave them with only one lit baseball field.

Right now, discussions around renovating the fairgrounds include moving the rodeo arena to the area now occupied by ballfields. That would demolish four fields including the multi-purpose field, two baseball fields, and the football/soccer field.

The Raptors said it's been 31 years since the county has built a baseball field in Castle Rock despite the population in Douglas County quadrupling.

Now, youth sports leaders in Castle Rock and Parker are calling on the community to save their sports facilities and fight the expansion plan.

CBS Colorado received notice that Hawks Football team families along with other sports families plan to join Thursday night's town hall to "hold the county accountable for the creation of new parks and sports facilities that we were promised and effectively voted for."

Douglas County also has an online comment form for the public about the future of the fairgrounds.

Thursday's town hall is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. The public is invited to join in person at the Philip S. Miller Building, 100 Third St. in Castle Rock or virtually .