We have received numerous phone calls about neglect at the various ball fields in Atlantic City.

Yesterday, we drove to Sovereign Avenue and the Bay to the iconic Chelsea Little League Field, also known as Pete Pallitto Field and now called The Chelsea Baseball League since 1997.

The Chelsea Little League has been the site of great memories for children and adults alike for generations, dating back more than 60 years.

The graffiti that you can see pictured here is disgraceful. How can Atlantic City allow this to exist?

A voluminous amount of accumulated trash was finally picked up by the Atlantic City Public Works Department yesterday, two hours before we arrived to take our photos.

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Here is how this ball field looked at 12:00 noon yesterday, Monday, September 19.

Harry Hurley
Harry Hurley
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Harry Hurley
Harry Hurley
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Harry Hurley
Harry Hurley
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Harry Hurley
Harry Hurley
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Harry Hurley
Harry Hurley
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Harry Hurley
Harry Hurley
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When you look past the trash and significant amount of graffiti, look how beautiful this expensive, all-weather, baseball field is?

This is the baseball field that I played on during the late 1960s to early 1970s.

Harry Hurley - August, 1972.
Harry Hurley - August, 1972.
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Harry Hurley - Chelsea Little League - August, 1972.
Harry Hurley - Chelsea Little League - August, 1972.
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Above is what this same baseball field looked like in 1972, exactly 50 years ago.

It was a dirt-only baseball field, with white chalk field lines that were only applied on game days.

In this era, long ago, there was no all-weather field, however, there was great pride in those days to keep the field, surrounding stadium and concession stand in immaculate condition.

During this magical time, all family members were a direct part of the experience serving as volunteers: League Officers, coaches, concession workers, field and buildings maintenance, fundraising and so much more.

Our Atlantic City Hall sources have shared that the current lack of proper upkeep extends to various recreation fields, advising that is a city-wide situation.

It’s time to pick up the trash on a regular basis, remove the graffiti and once again take pride in these youth facilities.

It's the difference between making great memories that you will remember for the rest of your life, as compared to the dirty and graffiti-laced facilities that exist today.

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