South Bay : PLAY BALL

The good news is that Manhattan Beach will have a bigger and better middle school by September 1998. The bad news is that the new school, to be built next to Polliwog Park on Redondo Avenue, will take out two playing fields heavily used by baseball and soccer teams.

After meeting with the City Council last week, the school district came up with an interim plan: The outfield area of two baseball fields at Mira Costa High School on Peck Avenue can double as soccer fields during baseball’s off season. But no permanent solution has been found.

Manhattan Beach’s new middle school will relieve overcrowding at Manhattan Beach Intermediate School on 15th Street. The new $19-million school initially will accommodate 900 students and eventually hold 1,400.