As sign-ups for Ridgway’s Little League get underway, some of the adults are busy raising money to improve the fields.
We went to see how the fields are looking and what is planned.
Organizers say they’ve never had a permanent bathroom at the fields, and now they want to add one.
It may not look like it now, but spring is on the way, and about 200 kids from ages 4 to 16 will be using these fields soon.
“We had our first sign-up the other day and we have sign-ups coming up this week,” says league vice-president Anthony Santiso.
“The facility just has slowly gotten run down and we’ve tried each year to build it up a little bit,” says president Diane Park.
Little League organizers say a high school construction class helped put new siding on the concession stand last year.
Now, they want to raise $95,000 in a Revitalization Project. They want to repair fencing and backstops, update broken bleachers, buy dirt for the infield, and complete a drainage project to stop rain from cancelling games. The top item on their list is restrooms.
“We have a lot of grandparents that come out here, a lot of people that come out here that could use a working bathroom,” says Park.
Despite the cold, some work was already going on at one of the five fields as workers drilled holes for posts.
“This backstop is staying right here. We’re just putting some new fencing in front of the dugouts to protect the kids so a foul ball can’t hit them,” says Santiso.
Park says they already got a $25,000 donation from Clarion Sintered Metals, and also plan use grants and private donations to update fields on Grant Rd. that they say are showing their age.
“I know they were here in the ’80s and ’90s when I played,” says Santiso.
“Every field could always use improvements. These are great updates. We want backstops. We would like the field to be used for many years to come and it’s just a matter of keeping it up to date.”
The club officers are hoping to do some of this work before the upcoming season starts in April, but say that could depend on the weather.
