CMS announced that the DYSA field project will not move forward at Madison Central Park and that it will work with DYSA to identify an alternative location.
The information below is preserved as part of the record of the 2026 project. Residents reviewed public records, agreements, historical imagery, parcel data and comparable facilities to better understand the project and the property on which it was proposed.
The notes below are based on documents and research reviewed by residents.
A CMS/DYSA Extended Use Agreement dated February 1, 2026 contemplated new athletic infrastructure at Pinewood Elementary/Madison Central Park, including up to three baseball/softball fields, batting cages and associated improvements.
The document provided to residents contained signatures from both CMS and DYSA representatives.
During the July 27 site meeting, CMS stated that the agreement was not fully executed. Initially, CMS COO Tim Ivey noted that Mr. Jones had not signed off. Mr. Jones confirmed he had and the conversation shifted to phases.
Residents repeatedly sought clarification regarding that distinction, including information documenting the approval and execution process and explaining what additional step or authorization would have been required for the agreement to become fully executed.
No documentation establishing that distinction or explaining what remained incomplete was provided to residents before CMS announced on September 10 that the DYSA field project would not move forward at Madison Central Park.
This distinction matters because residents were trying to understand how far the project had progressed, what approvals had already occurred, who had authority to approve the agreement, and at what point community notification or input was expected to occur.
Residents reviewed other CMS/DYSA Extended Use Agreements, including agreements involving Alexander Graham Middle School and Sedgefield Middle School.
• Alexander Graham already had an existing baseball field before its agreement with DYSA.
• Sedgefield already had an existing baseball field before its agreement with DYSA.
• Madison Central Park did not contain the baseball/softball fields contemplated by the Pinewood agreement and the park was established in 2010 through a grant.
• The Pinewood agreement contemplated construction of new athletic infrastructure, including up to three baseball/softball fields and batting cages.
Using and improving an existing athletic facility is materially different from constructing new dedicated athletic infrastructure on flexible-use green space.
Residents therefore questioned whether other Extended Use Agreements involving existing fields were appropriate comparisons for the Pinewood/Madison Central Park project.
Residents reviewed publicly available parcel information and site layouts for school-based, park-based and other multi-field facilities used by DYSA.
• The available Pinewood/Madison Central Park site was approximately 53% smaller than the average multi-field DYSA site reviewed.
• Many comparison sites were located on larger campuses, park properties or established athletic complexes.
• Many provided greater separation between athletic facilities and surrounding residences.
• Many already contained established athletic infrastructure.
These differences were important to residents when evaluating whether comparisons to other DYSA locations reflected the physical characteristics of Madison Central Park.
Historical imagery and public records show substantial changes to the Pinewood property since Madison Central Park was established.
• Approximately 68% of Pinewood's original open space has been lost since 2010.
• School expansion, parking, playgrounds and other infrastructure have reduced the amount of remaining open land.
• Madison Central Park represents much of the flexible-use green space that remains on the property.
This history provided important context for residents evaluating another potential conversion of the site's remaining open space.
Beginning in 2010, CMS, the City of Charlotte and Madison Park residents participated in a documented process to create and improve Madison Central Park for school and community use.
• A 2010 community planning process involving CMS and neighborhood residents
• A City of Charlotte Neighborhood Matching Grant
• A signed March 2011 CMS letter supporting the grant and discussing the usage of the space. Describing Pinewood as the property's primary user during school hours and the Madison Park neighborhood as its user after school and on weekends.
• Significant neighborhood volunteer labor, donated materials and professional services
• Professional landscape and site planning
• Improvements including a walking trail, playground, disc golf, landscaping and other school/community amenities
• Documented 2014 Neighborhood School Partnership Summit
The notes identify concerns including responsibility for trash removal and potential negative impacts from weekend traffic.
The record demonstrates that organized athletic fields, neighborhood impacts and the intended community use of this property were specifically considered during the original planning process.
The creation of Madison Central Park involved both public funding and substantial neighborhood contributions.
Historical grant records document approximately $25,000 in City of Charlotte Neighborhood Matching Grant funding, along with significant resident volunteer hours that exceeded the matched $25,000. There was also donated labor, materials and professional services.
That investment helped create and improve amenities including:
• Walking trail
• Playground
• Nine-hole disc golf course
• Landscaping and trees
• Professional landscape design and planning
• Other park and school/community improvements
This history is relevant because the property considered for redevelopment in 2026 included improvements created through an earlier public/community partnership and investment.
Residents reviewed publicly available information regarding baseball/softball facilities and locations used by DYSA.
Resident research identified approximately 94 baseball/softball diamonds across locations used by DYSA, including 15 diamonds at DYSA-used locations within approximately five miles of Madison Park.
During the July 31 discussion, DYSA President Chris Pineno agreed with the figure of 15 nearby diamonds. He explained, however, that DYSA does not have exclusive or unrestricted control over all of the facilities it uses and must compete with other leagues and organizations for scheduling availability.
That distinction helped clarify the nature of DYSA's stated field-capacity challenge: the issue was not simply the absence of baseball diamonds in the area, but obtaining sufficiently reliable access to field capacity.
Residents reviewed CMS policies, North Carolina law and other Extended Use Agreements to understand how the Pinewood agreement compared with other arrangements.
• Extended Use Agreements can govern outside organizations' use of CMS property.
• Comparison agreements reviewed by residents frequently involved existing athletic facilities.
• The Pinewood agreement contemplated construction of multiple new baseball/softball fields and batting cages on property that did not already contain those facilities.
• During the July 27 site meeting, CMS staff stated that CMS had not previously done something like the Pinewood project.
Residents requested additional information about how the scope, construction, duration, approval and execution process for the Pinewood agreement compared with other Extended Use Agreements.
Those questions became particularly relevant after CMS later stated that the February agreement was not fully executed, despite the document containing CMS and DYSA signatures and having previously been described to residents as executed.
The Updates page documents the project from residents' initial discovery through CMS' September 10 announcement, with links to meeting records, correspondence and other source materials.