Swinging for the finances
Cardigan Minor Ball Association looking for council’s support to upgrade complex
THREE RIVERS — Kings County baseball players are hoping a new Three Rivers council will play ball when it comes to funding field upgrades.
Kris O’Brien, president of the Cardigan Minor Ball Association, asked councillors during Monday’s meeting in the community of Lower Montague for financial support to install lights at one of the Cardigan ball diamonds.
O’Brien said the Cardigan facility, which includes three fields for children and one for adults, is lacking in lights.
An estimate last year put the cost at about $250,000, with the association having already secured about $175,000 in funding. O’Brien said the association has decided to move forward with the initiative and will be hiring a consultant.
“We are moving forward. We want to do this, but we don’t have the funds available, we don’t have the credit available,” said O’Brien. “But we don’t want to wait.
“We have the ambition and we have the volunteers… We want to make this a showcase facility for our association and for the Three Rivers region.”
O’Brien said the association has been able to secure about $100,000 through the province, as well as about $25,000 through Montague Rotary Club. The former Cardigan council also left $15,000 in a nonrepayable loan, as well as $35,000 in a loan that the association would repay over time. O’Brien said the association is also looking to roll out a sponsorship program at the complex.
About a third of the price tag would go towards a scoreboard and a necessary new building.
While the Morell ball diamond has lights, O’Brien said it is more configured for adults. Besides that, there are no lit baseball facilities east of Stratford.
“That’s where we see a tremendous opportunity,” said O’Brien.
While the complex currently hosts several tournaments, he said lights would help attract national and eastern Canadian events.
“Think of the impact of that positive exposure,” said O’Brien, adding that last year’s Canadian National Oldtimers Baseball Federation championships held across P.E.I. was estimated to have an economic impact of $700,000 in one weekend.
“We want to focus on kids and bring their parents, grandparents and families into our region during the summer months and show them what our region has to offer. But we need lights.”
The growing association, which had about 300 baseball and softball players ball players last year, has an operating budget of $26,000 which is covered through registration.
The association was previously a sub-committee of Cardigan council, and O’Brien asked how the new council would foresee the association running. While he said the association asked the previous council for very little financially, they did provide access to a summer maintenance worker to help get the fields ready every night.
O’Brien asked if council would commit to continuing that service.
Council advised O’Brien to fill out a request for decision, which councillors will then discuss during a committee of council meeting.