Butch Barber, one of four North Carolina Eastern Region USSSA directors and a Roanoke Rapids resident, said a meeting today with the city's Parks and Recreation Department was productive.

“We're going to try to keep the league meeting date that was previously set. If approved then we can definitely plan on holding the league as planned.”

The USSSA is looking at holding industrial, church and women's leagues as well as the possibility of an open men's league, Barber said. “We will bring in official USSSA umpires and the league will be under USSSA rules and regulations. We will provide everything for the league to function.”

There would still have to be discussions on what the city would bring to the table, Barber said. “If there's any way I can keep the fields maintained I will do it.”

Barber said when he read the initial story the city was going to suspend its adult athletic leagues for the remainder of the fiscal year, his first reaction was, “What can I do to help so we can have a league? I wasn't looking at the negativity. What can I do to keep it going, that's what I want to do.”

Barber said it's important to have adult sports in the city. “The tradition of the league has been here years and years. There's always been softball in Roanoke Rapids. There's no sense in it not being now.”

Parks and Recreation Director John Simeon had no immediate comment this afternoon.