Submitted by Nelson Baseball Association
The Nelson Baseball Association was successful in its fundraising efforts last winter and has secured the money to complete the second year of its three-year project to renovate and rejuvenate the baseball field at Queen Elizabeth Park in lower Fairview.
Construction is scheduled to begin this month and be completed by late August.
In 2019, the outfield fence and the infrastructure for the high, protective netting behind the backstop was installed. The netting will stop most foul balls from landing on adjacent properties, in the road, and on parked vehicles.
This work was made possible with a Columbia Basin Trust Basin PLAYS grant, matching corporate donations (Selkirk Paving, RHC Insurance, Hume Hotel, Adventure Hotel), and in-kind contributions from MapleLeaf Power Corporation and Stella-Jones. The work was also completed in partnership with the City of Nelson, which provided project logistics and some equipment and labour.
This year work will include: installing the protective netting; demolishing the old dugouts and building new dugouts and a field equipment building; rebuilding the infield to correct drainage and surface materials; and building a new batting and pitching complex behind the outfield fence.
The batting and pitching complex was made possible by a community works recreational infrastructure grant from the RDCK (Areas E, F, and H), grants from the BC Tire Stewardship and KalTire’s RePlay Fund, and very generous in-kind contributions from Nelson Ready Mix, Rokform Solutions, and Home Hardware.
The infield and the area behind the centre and left-field fence will be closed to the public during construction, but the public will still have access to the outfield.
Related:
• Queen Elizabeth Park to receive royal renovations
