What started as a Fourth of July weekend ended with charred porta potties and a hard truth for the Orangevale Pony Baseball League: someone keeps targeting their facilities, and the damage is starting to threaten the community’s ability to host games at all.
On Sunday, July 5, around 9:30 p.m., a fire suspected to be caused by fireworks destroyed two porta potties at Louis Pasteur Middle School and damaged bleachers and the dugout. For a nonprofit league that’s already stretched thin financially, it’s a gut punch. Lead coordinator Alicia DeMerritt laid it out bluntly: the league dropped over $15,000 this year alone upgrading fields and equipment, only to watch nearly a third of that commitment go up in smoke over vandalism they can’t afford to prevent.
The real problem isn’t just the $4,500 bill for replacing those porta potties. It’s that this is a pattern. Michael Corbett, the league’s player agent, confirmed that the porta potties have been tipped over and set on fire before—so many times that they’ve lost insurance coverage entirely. Every incident now comes straight out of the league’s operating budget, which means every dollar spent on repairs is a dollar not spent on coaching, field maintenance, or keeping league fees affordable for families.
Here’s where it stings the community hardest: come August, when fall ball starts, the league won’t be able to operate without functional facilities. Kids and parents won’t have anywhere to use the restroom, since the school doesn’t permit access to campus bathrooms during games. It’s not just an inconvenience—it’s a potential deal-breaker for sustaining youth sports in Orangevale.
DeMerritt isn’t interested in retribution. She’s asking for accountability.“If this is your kid, it’s okay, kids make mistakes,”she said,“but like let’s own it and work together to fix all of it.”The league is installing a fence around the porta potties as a deterrent and set up a GoFundMe seeking $3,000 in repairs. As of Tuesday, July 7, they’d raised $1,750 from 18 donors—which means they’re still halfway short.
What’s happening in Orangevale reflects a broader tension: youth leagues operate on razor-thin margins, sustained by volunteers and parent donations. One act of vandalism doesn’t just break equipment; it erodes the foundation that makes affordable, quality youth sports possible. The league’s been serving thousands of kids over the years, building what Corbett calls a small but mighty community. Right now, that community is asking Orangevale to show up and help keep it standing.
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
