The Score?

Local association asks council for help with digital scoreboard

Amotion was put before council at the last Committee of the Whole seeking help in getting a digital scoreboard installed at the Wellington Field of Dreams. The scoreboard was donated by the Wellington Rotary Club and is worth an estimated $8,000. The Club has also generously donated another $12,000 to put up new bleachers at the diamond. But the issue lies in installing the scoreboard and making sure it’s secure. The estimated cost to install the new scoreboard is another $6,000 and a few local baseball organizers have gone to council with the request that the County pay for the installation. Matt Ronan and John and Jane Allison have already dedicated countless volunteer hours to the maintenance and upkeep of the Wellington diamonds. The County does pay for field striping at the beginning of the season, as well as grass cutting once a week along with the lights and watering of the diamonds, but according to John Allison, that’s not even close what is needed to keep the fields maintained to a level that is playable for the teams.

“If we left it the way that the County is maintaining it, it would be unplayable. Cutting the grass once a week isn’t nearly enough. You wouldn’t be able to see any lines and it would look overgrown. I cut the grass a few times a week on top of the County’s once a week to make sure it’s at a playable level,” says John Allison.

Ronan spoke at the Committee and Whole and his points were succinct and clear. He said that the Prince Edward County Minor Baseball Association was simply tapped out this year and doesn’t have the funds to complete the project. The league just spent $1,000 to have the engineering plans for the sign completed, but the cost of installing the sign is still thousands of dollars away. The sign is currently sitting in a warehouse waiting for the funds to be raised.

Steel girders in place for the new digital scoreboard at the Field of Dreams.

A digital scoreboard would put the Field of Dreams in a place where it could host provincial tournaments and regional events, which would bring a lot of tourism into the area. Back in 2007, council did come to the aid of the minor baseball league and helped financially with the creation of the first baseball diamond. The members of the community are responsible for the building of the other two diamonds and making the park what it is today.

The Wellington diamonds are also the only ones in the County that are using clay instead of aggregate gravel, which the league pays for. John and Jane Allison make that happen through volunteers who drive the clay in from Guelph so that the players can play on a superior surface.

This year, the league has seen its biggest enrollment ever, with over 200 kids using the ball diamonds in Wellington multiple times a week, keeping ball players in the County and helping to keep them active. The league also keeps the registration fees for playing baseball among the lowest levels in the province ranging from $40 to $90 depending on age.

“John and Jane are there every day. As soon as they are done their bus routes, they head to diamonds and cut the grass. When the contractors come tear out the fences, John and Jane rally the community and fix what’s been damaged. When 80 tonnes of clay come in, John and Jane facilitate that with money raised from players fees and numerous charity events throughout the year. They are the faces of Prince Edward County Minor Baseball,” said Ronan in his deputation.

Council seemed supportive of the request, with Janice Maynard and Steve Graham looking to push the motion forward and through some of the bureaucratic red tape. Council hopes to have a staff report back by the May 22 council meeting.