Hot dogs and baseball go hand in hand, except at one Little League park in Vancouver.
For weeks, Jericho Baseball on Vancouver’s west side has been pulling out all the stops to get a permit to sell hot dogs and burgers at the Carnarvon Park concession stand, but those ballpark staples are still missing in action despite being on the menu.
The league’s efforts are caught up in bureaucratic red tape over food safety issues.
Jericho Baseball President Brett Maude told Global News that Vancouver Coastal Health food preparation regulations were not met and so their permit was denied. Although he admits the process has been frustrating, Maude said he understands there are “liability issues.”
In a statement, Vancouver Coastal Health said:
“Environmental health officers work closely with food vendors and applicants to ensure their operations and food handling practices meet the necessary requirements. Our focus is on ensuring that food is prepared in a safe and sanitary manner, in order to protect the public. VCH welcomes the opportunity to work with the applicant to resolve any specific concerns that may have been identified.”
With the Jericho Baseball season set to end June 16, concession volunteer and parent Jody Vance took to Twitter to express her frustration over the permit delays.
“We can have 4/20 where there are 40,000 people eating God knows what and there’s no problem but this little concession stand here at Carnarvon Park, we can’t sell a hot dog.”
Vancouver Park Board Commissioner Sarah Kirby-Yung responded to Vance’s tweets agreeing “there’s got to be a way to make it a little quicker and a little simpler.”
The Vancouver Park Board told Global News in a statement:
“Our recreation team was in contact with the president of the Jericho Little League (JLL) …when we became aware of this situation. The president is continuing to work with Vancouver Coastal Health to find solutions.”
Kirby-Yung said she’s open to exploring a different type of permitting process for smaller events.
“These are kids and parents trying to play a little baseball and enjoy some hot dogs and some parks, so just a little frustrated that sometimes we get bogged down in process.”
For now, parents are firing up their own fix — barbecued hot dogs by donation, a consolation prize for fans who hope baseball’s staple snack will be back soon.
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