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Park Little League plans fall through |
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Written by Andrew Powell
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Friday, 10 April 2009 |
Little League will have to resort to an alternate plan after officials learned the new park would not be prepared in time for the start of the season.
Little League will have to resort to an alternate plan after officials learned the new park would not be prepared in time for the start of the season.
J.C. Egnew, Chairman of the Parks Board, said it was recently discovered the layout of two fields at the site, fields expected for use this Little League season, is all wrong. Not only is the grade of the site irregular for baseball play, but fencing, being prepared for installation, would have extended past the area developers designed to actually be the field. Basically, the field is not flat and it is too short for play.
The error is forcing Little League officials to return to the dugout as park developers go back to bat after teeing one off the foul pole.
Egnew said he met with Mark Sumner, representing Little League, contractors from Weddle, who prepared the site, and park architects last week to discuss the newly found problems.
“We came to a collective agreement the architect will work on a new layout with work beginning as soon as the weather permits,” Egnew said during a park board meeting Tuesday. Egnew also commended Sumner for “his foresight” in having a backup plan for this year’s ball season. Little League participants will host games at WCES, PKI and the Lord’s Gym. The park board will help prepare those sites for play this season.
Egnew said the positive take from the situation, is that ball field development now does not have to be rushed.
“This will allow for all four fields to be laid out, get everything right and in shape for next season,” he said. “I think this will pay good dividends in the long run for all concerned.”
Egnew said work would begin in the coming weeks on the new field layout, as well as construction of the fields. Over the coming months, the fields should be seeded, fenced and awaiting next baseball season. The plan revision could also allow park developers to move forward with infrastructure development, at least getting permanent water facilities on site.
In other park news, Egnew reported he has submitted a funding request to Congress Hal Rogers office that could aid in Phase II, or facility, development on the site. He is also meeting with regional development officials this week to discuss other funding possibilities, including state money earmarked for the park’s multi-generational center.
“It is time to start pressing hard to find the money for Phase II development,” Egnew said.
Other areas of development “in the incubation stage” include removal of stone from the old Whitley Elementary School for use at the park, development of an outdoor environmental learning center (in conjunction with Somerset Community College) and a project with U.S. Forest Service officials for trail development around the site.
The park board also approved the expenditure of $1,400 to put a new roof on the lower shelter at the 4-H Camp. Several buildings at the facility were recently damaged by winds and while insurance is covering most of the damage, only partial repair to the shelter’s 40-year-old roof would be completed. The funding allocation will be coupled with insurance money allowing for new roofs on several of the structures at the 4-H facility.
To date, slightly more than $3 million has been spent on development at the 100-acre Whitley City park site. The park board will next meet on Tuesday, May 5 at 5 p.m. at MCC.
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