Despite some opposition, the majority of Huntsville councillors, at their April 27, 2026, meeting, opted to move forward with the purchase and installation of additional lights for baseball diamond F at McCulley-Robertson Sport Complex.
The ball diamonds underwent more than a $2M makeover around 2019, but players have been arguing that the consultant got the lighting wrong. The issue has been circulating for some time.
A photometric study concluded that while lighting levels were adequate for infield play, the non-playing area requires additional lighting to improve safety and accessibility.
Council debated whether to spend the estimated $79,000 to install two cement poles and about 12 more lights now and deviate from the budget, or wait until the 2027 budget discussions.
Councillors were told the funds would partly come from development charges and from the parks capital reserve.
Other considerations included player safety and the municipality’s liability. Some expressed concern with rushing the process through and not taking a macro approach to all lighting. Others were hopeful that the lights could be installed in time for a provincial tournament coming this summer. Huntsville Councillor Scott Morrison expressed concern that the cost of the lighting would increase if council waits.
Stan Rimmington, a long-time player and champion of the sport and after whom one of the diamonds is named, and Andrew Hall, head coach for the 15U baseball team and vice president of the Muskoka Hornets, urged council to address the issue for safety and player development. “I’m here tonight because the lighting issue affects not just one team but the safety and development of a program across Muskoka, including Huntsville,” said Hall. “The staff report identifies that non-playing areas require additional illumination, and in baseball, everything inside the fence is considered areas that are part of the game.”
In the end, the majority of the council opted to install two cement poles in the backstop area and add a total of 12 lights on the new poles and existing poles around the foul line.
It is uncertain whether the lights and poles will be installed in time for the tournament, but the majority of council decided to move forward now rather than wait for the formulation of the 2027 budget.
Staff estimate the additional lighting will cost $79,487 + HST, with about $12,320 to be funded from development charges and $67,167 from the Parks Capital reserve.
Huntsville Councillor Helena Renwick said it has been identified that the lighting is inadequate. “It’s going to be cheaper to do it now as opposed to coming back, and if we got it wrong because we did the lights now, we figure it out… let’s just do it, and I’m going to go watch a baseball game.”
In the end, the majority of council, with the exception of Councillors Cory Clarke and Dan Armour, voted in favour of deviating from the budget and moving forward.
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