NEWEST BASEBALL DIAMOND NOW HAS LIGHTS

(Story courtesy of the Estevan Mercury - Wednesday, April 23, 2008)

Estevan's newest baseball diamond now has lights.

For the first time, Estevan's senior and older minor baseball league players will be able to play on a flood-lit field, thanks to a local volunteer effort.

Mel Murray, a king pin for minor baseball efforts in the Energy City, was on hand with a crew of workers on Wednesday morning, completing the installation of eight, 70 foot light standards surrounding Panteluk Construction field in Lynn Prime Park, the newest of two baseball diamonds on the north side of the city.

"There's a total of 44 lights on the eight poles, that meet all professional lighting standards for baseball fields," said Murray just before he grabbed a wrench to muscle down some bolts that would secure another tower of lights.

"We had some good volunteer effort here, equipment and guys from Skylift Services, Baxter Transport, Supreme Construction, PS Electric for the wiring, it's been great," he said.

The estimated value of the lights and construction effort would work out to between $200,000 and $250,000, Murray said.

The lights will now make it possible for more games to start a little later in the summer months and allow them to play past a sixth or seventh inning without having to be called on account of darkness.

Both the Panteluk field and the nearby Peterson Construction field, also located in Lynn Prime Park, will be used for this late summer's Western Canadian Bantam and Midget AAA Baseball Championships.

The park has also been the site of construction of new scorers' booths and a consession area as well as some grandstand seating to provide even more efficiency and comfort for ball players and fans.

 

Almost in position, this 70 foot light standard at Lynn Prime Park will givelocal senior and advanced minor baseball teams an opporturity to play night baseball in Estevan.