After Flooding, McLean Little League Begins Repairs Ahead of Fall Season

Following extensive damage from flash flooding yesterday (Monday), the McLean Little League is looking to repair its complex during the off-season.

Jen Nance, the president of the McLean Little League, told Tysons Reporter that the “serious damage” is still being assessed after the creek behind the facility flooded the fields at 1836 Westmoreland Street.

“It was definitely the most floodwaters we have seen in any recent history,” Nance said, adding that the flashing flooding “wreaked havoc.”

Before the flooding started, the facility managed opened up the fields for a local baseball group to use them for a camp this week. Seven cars belonging to the group’s coaches ended up floating around in the flooded parking lot during the brunt of the storm, Nance said. Luckily, no one was hurt.

By 12:30 p.m. yesterday, most of the water had receded from the fields, making the damage clearly visible. “[You] can tell where the debris from the creek got stuck in the fencing,” Nance said. “Debris is at least 6 feet up on the fence.”

Nance said that work will include rebuilding two dugouts, repairing fencing on three of the four fields and cleaning up the fields, adding that the tee-ball field has the worst amount of damage, while the front field suffered the least.

Currently, the McLean Little League complex is closed — “it’s not a secure, safe situation right now,” she said — and the nonprofit is working with vendors to determine the cost and timeframe for repairs.

“We’re thinking we can get it all repaired by the fall season,” Nance said, adding that “it’s too soon to know” when the repairs will be finished.

Tysons Reporter spoke to contractors inspecting the site today (July 9), who said that the goal is to reopen the complex by Labor Day.

While the McLean Little League hasn’t started a GoFundMe yet, Nance said that community fundraising is one option to pay for the repairs.

“We are a nonprofit, so we rely heavily on our community and donors,” she said. “This is a once in many year occurrence.”

Because of the timing of the flooding, Nance said that she expects the damage to have little impact on the team or the local community, which often will use the field.

“We don’t have games. The seasons are wrapping up,” she said. “I think it will be hopefully minimal. If we get rolling soon, there will be no impact on the fall season.”

For people who want to stay updated on the repair status, Nance recommends checking the McLean Little League’s Twitter and Facebook. Nance also suggests keeping an eye out for registration for the fall season, which is set to open in the next couple of weeks.

“We will likely continue to update via Twitter. Our population looks to that Twitter feed,” she said.

McLean Little League looks like a war zone. Cars being towed away now. Baseball camp coaches watched as the flood water piled their vehicles on top of one another this morning ⁦@fox5dc⁩ pic.twitter.com/UmwR65Mons

— Lauren DeMarco FOX 5 (@ldemarcofox5) July 8, 2019

Vernon Miles contributed to this story