At the March 8 governance meeting, Trail council gave staff the go-ahead for a class-A estimate to put up new lights and netting at Butler Park.
A Jan. 13 wind storm toppled large conifers which took down a light pole and safety netting at the East Trail ballpark. An inspection deemed the remainder of the 70-foot stadium standards as unsafe. They were removed last month.
The staff report outlined cost estimates ranging up to $1.1M for both netting and stadium lighting. However, the class-D estimates are not definitive, and due to the hope of getting the new poles and netting up for use in 2022, the city is under some pressure to get a design, tender and construction completed as soon as possible.
The city permitted Trail Minor Baseball League to proceed with play this summer, however, it will be limited with no lights or netting.
“Stadium lighting was first installed at Butler Park in 1950, and has been a longstanding staple of the park,” read the report. “Since first being installed, stadium lighting has served the City well in terms of helping to attract events such as the Babe Ruth World Series, and many other junior and senior league championship tournaments.
“Having lights in the park remains a high priority for baseball user groups of all ages.”
Council directed staff to proceed with the lighting and netting design for Butler and included $34,000 in the 2021 capital budget for design development, geotechnical work, pole design, net specifications and other costs.