Ball players at the McCulley-Robertson ball diamonds may see disruptions and a shorter 2019 season if council agrees to spend about $1.4 million on improvements.
On Monday, January 28, Huntsville Council agreed to push forward with $1,482,359 worth of improvements to the ball diamonds as part of its 2019 budget deliberations. If the expenditure is given final approval, it would mean replacing all infields on all four diamonds, adding drainage, new backstops and players’ dugouts, as well as lighting on diamonds A, B and C.
Deputy Mayor Karin Terziano said the lights on diamond F are newer, “and we think that we can get some more years out of those lights.”
She said she believes there will be enough support around the council table to include the expenditure in the municipality’s 2019 budget. Initial estimates for improvements to the diamonds put the cost at about $2.2 million. Terziano said the focus has since shifted to making improvements that directly impact player safety.
“We just don’t have 2.2 million dollars. We have too many things that have to be done and we realize that those ball diamonds are 30 years old, and we realize that we need to put money in them and we need to make them safe, but we also believe the stuff we postponed, for down the road sometime, are not a high safety risk,” she told Doppler.
“We think that we’ll have an excellent ball park with this work and if there are things that are lacking as we move forward, we’ll address them then.”
Budget deliberations are set to continue.
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I don’t think that they look at safety or the protection of the residents in many of their decisions until someone is killed or badly injured.
As a resident of the Ravenscliffe rd and William st intersection I have to wonder why no one has mentioned the dangerous intersection getting to the ball and soccer fields. I live at that intersection and come dinner time or the weekend you can hear the tires squealing from near misses and the noisy exhaust from speeding motorists. Numerous accidents and near misses happen here all the time. Maybe some consideration to this intersection would be in order before some ones child gets killed or hurt trying to enjoy these facilities. There again the sidewalk system has a lot to be desired if you walk from town.
Why is it that anytime there is mention that the Diamonds will get some work done on them (when nothing has been done since 1985) that someone from the curling club or another local club has to bash baseball without any obvious knowledge of the state of the diamonds or the numbers involved with ball of all ages, categories, leagues etc.? Have you played ball on the diamonds? Have you tried to run to first after a few games and fallen and broken or severely sprained an ankle or torn a hamstring rounding second because the infield is so awful ? I have seen that many, many times personally in my 20 + years being involved as a coach, umpire and member of the Muskoka Hornets… I have seen players and coaches hit in the face with a thrown or hit ball because the lights are so awful – so many shadows and sometimes the lights are misdirected and bulbs are blown out for weeks at a time. For the record; as president of the Huntsville Minor Ball many years ago I personally talked with soccer and offered the use of the infields on the diamonds for soccer use and one of our board members attended meetings regularly for over a year in support of the curling club and their proposals. We are a community and should act like one… we do what we do primarily for the kids and safety is a huge proponent of what we as a user have asked for with regards to the upgrades at the diamonds. Did I mention no upgrades in over 30 years … to an outdoor facility ? I am thankful the Town is finally looking at the diamonds and if anyone would like to know about the Hornets program specifically and the great successes we are having in encouraging and helping young players and families please ask. I have been involved along with others who love the sport for as long as I lived in this community. I have spent thousands upon thousands of hours volunteering and working at not only the new diamonds (which are old) but the previous diamonds when they were at the High School/Arena Property. I have umpired (as stated) for men’s fastball, men’s and women’s slo pitch, dozens of charity tournaments and the House League which is now known as the Hornets and along with others who have been around Huntsville ball and the diamonds for countless years have a pretty good handle on what is needed for the diamonds that serve thousands of users a year. Baseball also brings in many, many hundreds of thousands of dollars into the community on a yearly basis by hosting our Muskoka Cup tournaments for starters. Our club and members don’t write in and bash other user groups when they achieve some form of support or upgrade to their facilities. I suppose I’m old but I remember when we acted like a community in this town and would truly support one another…
As a fairly recent resident of Huntsville, I am unfamiliar with the layout of this particular area. I do seem to remember, however, in a previous article, that there was a soccer pitch(es) attached to the diamond area. Is anything being done to improve the safety for soccer players? After all, to my knowledge, soccer is still the fastest growing sport in Canada. I realize that soccer pales in comparison to baseball/softball as a revenue source for the Town. But surely some balance must be struck between monies and the health of our youth. Soccer is the best sport for cardio (equal to lacrosse) and is the least expensive to outfit your child. There is also seldom a gender issue involved at the lower levels; which is an excellent life lesson for boys and girls. (Hockey has made great strides in this area, but it is cost-prohibitive for most at the “rep” level. Lights are not absolutely necessary and turf maintenance is not costly.
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My sons all grew up with soccer in the summer and hockey in the winter; and their health and athletic ability (now in their 40’s) is outstanding.
I fully agree with your statements also streets leading to and from the curling rink leave less to be desired. I have an uncle who plays currently in Kitchener and friends who curl at the current Club. A new facility with better parking, easier access and expansion for more members would a make is a great investment for the town of Huntsville as we currently have no real activities in the area unless it’s dining some shows or spending huge amounts of money at deerhurst Resort
The Huntsville curling club definitely needs to be upgraded/or moved to a new modern site. The culture and atmosphere is positive at the club amongst the members. A growing number of out of town guest curlers are attending week-end bonspiels held at the club and are enjoying the amenities around the town. The word is getting out to other curling clubs about Huntsville. Membership growth amongst the younger demographic is happening. This project would be a worthwhile investment for now and the future for the town.
I fully agree that the curling club building is in need of updating/new building but to the amount of income the town makes from all the ball leagues after 30 years it’s nice to see they finally are going to put money into them
I wonder if the Town Council is going to come up with any funding for the curling club? The current curling facility is in rougher shape and tired when compared to the ball diamonds.