Ballfield to receive $195,000 makeover

Amy Winters

July 8, 2004.

A variety of improvements are in the works for Mort Fryer Memorial Ball Park once a $197,000 expected grant award comes through, said City Clerk Kathy O'Rear at Monday evening's brief city council meeting.

The Parks and Recreation Department applied for the Land and Water Conservation grant in 2002, but approval and administration of grant monies were delayed when the state fell out of compliance with the federal program. Petersburg is one of three cities in Alaska to receive funding, along with Sitka and the Mat-Su borough.

With $48,000 going to state compliance efforts, about $147,000 would be left for improvements to the field and surrounding area.

City Park and Recreation Director Ryan McFarland said at the meeting that the city expects to work closely with Little League to prioritize plans for use of the money. Over the last two years, some of the items on the city's priority list for the ballfield have been substantially completed, McFarland added.

"I think it's just wonderful for the amount of kids that use it," said Little League mom Gretchen Pullar Wednesday. She added that she'd like to see a more park like atmosphere in the area, including improvements to the concessions and restrooms.

McFarland said the department is looking to add fencing, parking improvements, renovated or additional restrooms, and possibly grass in the outfields.

McFarland said the grant requires equal, in-kind effort for every dollar of state money spent. "It's a fifty-fifty grant minimum. Local contributions need to be a minimum of fifty percent, but the local match doesn't have to be cash. For instance, city employees' hours, equipment time, local donations, volunteer hours- those all count toward grant matches," he explained.

Since some of the projects originally on the grant application have been completed in the two years since it was filed, McFarland said that some paperwork will have to be re-examined, pushing implementation of any improvements ahead to spring of next year. "We made the first cut and we're getting the money; now, we have a whole lot more work to do application-wise," he said.

The city council passed a resolution in support of the application in 2002.

McFarland said a separate, $25,000 grant from the state received this year will be used to make improvements to what is now the practice field. "We plan to make the practice field completely usable for games, with dugouts and bleachers," he said.