Given the condition of the fields at Keystone, Lincoln County officials were smart to officially close it.

Even though the county has a new $3 million baseball facility, teams were still regularly using Keystone for practice. There are large holes around the fields, wires hanging from poles and a host of other things that make the park unsafe for use.

“There’s holes out there where stuff has been pulled up,” District 4 Supervisor Eddie Brown said. “We’re really running a dangerous deal out there. We need to put up ‘no trespassing’ signs. If somebody gets hurt, we don’t want to get sued.”

Though the Dixie Youth Baseball season is winding down, officials should address where teams should practice now that Keystone is off limits. Teams are not allowed to practice at the new baseball complex — we’re guessing because officials are afraid that the fields will be damaged and it will hurt the park’s ability to attract tournaments.

So where should teams practice?

“They can find churches and fields to practice on,” Civic Center Director Quinn Jordan said. “That’s what they’ve been doing for the past 30 years.”

If teams were using Keystone despite its condition, they must have been desperate to find a diamond to practice on. We’re not so sure there are enough other options, considering how many Dixie Youth teams are trying to practice on any given evening during the season.

It’s probably way down the list of priorities for county officials, but having a suitable place to practice matters to the hundreds of parents, coaches and players.