The DuBois city council is asking the state for money for a new Miracle Field for disabled kids.

We have more on their latest progress in finding a place for the baseball field.

Out of two possible sites, city officials say they had no takers, and now they’re considering a third site over at City Park.

“We don’t know where the site’s going to be yet, but we look we have to look,” says city manager John “Herm” Suplizio.

“There was some discussion of having it near Shower’s Field, but of those individuals, one was willing to sell, and the other one was not,” says city solicitor Toni Cherry.

North Clark Street resident Janie Burlingame says a realtor did mention eminent domain during one of two visits to her home. She’s glad the city is now looking elsewhere, because she doesn’t want to move.

“We are looking to see where the field should be best put and what’s best for the city taxpayers and what’s best for the Miracle Field,” says Suplizio.

Suplizio says they’re not planning to use eminent domain.

“I’m never going to allow or counsel the city to use it for just a mere public purpose,” says Cherry. “It’s got to be an extraordinary public purpose that benefits the entire community, like when we constructed the water tank in 1993.”

Suplizio says they also looked at a parking lot off W. Long and Franklin, but  Shankel’s Pharmacy owner Tom Bowser says he did not want to sell. Charlie’s Alternators owner Charlie Iddings says the price a realtor mentioned to him last month was below market value.

“There was no reason to move beyond discussions because they were not interested,” says Cherry.

Cherry says they’re now looking back on their own property, at a field next to the tennis courts at City Park that could still be used for girls’ softball, while also having ADA accommodations.

“It would be a mixture of city funds, grants, CDBG funds, parks and recreation funds,” says Suplizio.

Suplizio says it could cost $1 million or more, start construction this fall at the earliest, and that they have a $100,000 grant from the Pittsburgh Pirates Charities. Councilman Ed Walsh says he was concerned they could lose that Pirates grant due to controversy.

On Monday, council voted to have the mayor sign a grant application for $200,000 to DCNR.

“I think that will allow a greater use and enjoyment of the City Park by a larger number of citizens. Perfect end,” says Cherry.

Suplizio says there’s room at City Park, but they have to do engineering work and check the soil first before picking a site.