The light poles at Butler Park are coming down this week.
There will be more activity in East Trail on Monday, as City of Trail begins the process of removing the compromised light poles from the popular baseball park.
The City of Trail awarded the the Butler Park Light Pole Demolition Project to Hil-Tech Contracting Ltd. for the amount of $81,595.
The poles were already in poor condition, but the Jan. 13 windstorm made an impact in more ways than one.
“The latest light pole inspection at Butler Park, conducted in December 2020, revealed cracks in the concrete, and corrosion of the internal steel bars and cables,” Kyle McCormick, the City of Trail’s Engineering and GIS Technician, said in a release. “With one of the poles coming down in the windstorm, it was decided that demolition of the remaining poles should be completed immediately.”
The light poles also hold up the park’s perimeter netting that protects the surrounding areas from errant balls. The netting has already been temporarily removed to accommodate the demolition of the poles.
With no lights and scaled back netting, the possibility of no baseball at Butler Park this summer arose at council meeting on Jan. 25. A delegation from Trail Youth Baseball (TYB) voiced concerns of missing another season, after TYB’s 2020 baseball season was wiped out due to COVID.
Council deferred a decision on selecting one of four options, all that required cancelling the upcoming baseball season.
“We are working with the park’s local user groups to look at options for baseball this year considering the current timeline of new light poles and netting is unknown,” said Trisha Davison, Director of Trail Parks and Recreation.
Work commences Feb. 8 and will include the removal and disposal of eight concrete light poles, backfilling of the hollow core foundations, and repair of the dugout roof opening.
Hil-Tech will work Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for approximately two weeks.
“As for replacing the light poles at the park, the City is currently reviewing options, costing, and timelines while also considering the City’s other capital projects that require completion in 2021,” added McCormick.
The City will provide updates as plans progress with both the project and the upcoming baseball season.
Read: Lights going out at Butler Park but it’s not game over yet
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