Waymart Borough Council sends debated ballfield project to bid

Waymart Borough Council is pursuing bids for the current plan to renovate the Robert D. Wilson Athletic Field, which will comply with Little League requirements but is far from a home run for Waymart men's softball enthusiasts.

Council Vice President Jane Varcoe, at the July 9 meeting, said they were advertising for bids as agreed last month, since the peer review requested by the softball team never materialized.

Kyle Barna, representing the softball team, asked for time to conduct a peer review at the June council meeting to avoid having to rotate the diamond, putting home plate in the opposite corner of the field.

The peer review would have used an engineer to do another examination of the options and bring the council recommendations for an option that would accommodate both Little League and the softball team.

Councilor Darren Howell, who is one of the softball members, asked the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) if the estimated $4,000 needed to pay for engineering services could be drawn from the project grant, but was turned down, Varcoe said.

By taking it to bid, the expectation is to be able to start the work this year and thereby prevent loss of the $215,000 DCNR grant that was awarded in 2018. Joseph Gillott, who did the engineering work for the borough at no cost, repeatedly stressed at recent borough meetings that DCNR will grant no more extensions; the current extension runs out Dec. 31.

Gillott proposed the project six years ago when his son was getting involved in Little League, Varcoe said.

The borough also received $550,000 this year from the state for the ballfield. Barna said in June that their annual Homer Dome game raised over $23,000 for ballfield improvements, and Little League raised thousands of dollars having the concession stand open at the Homer Dome.

The Waymart men's softball team is part of the Wayne County Blue Collar Softball League.

In an interview, Will Hadden, who has managed the softball team for 10 years, said it is up to his team if they are willing to try and use the field once it is reoriented, but feels this is the end of men's softball being able to play there.

The main problem is that moving the diamond and its orientation, while giving needed space between home plate and the backstop for Little League, reduces the average depth of left field from 265 feet to 250 feet, less than ideal for adult players. In addition, players will be facing the low evening sun.

There is also more risk of foul balls hitting parked cars, Hadden said.

Men's softball members attended the May 16 council meeting and the subsequent workshop a week later to further discuss the project with borough council and Gillott. Ball players expressed their concerns over having the field reoriented and provided an alternate sketch plan.

Gillott stated that it is too late to change the plan and reapply for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) permit and still use the DCNR grant before it expires. Gillott also said he was not willing to donate his services again to reapply for the permit.

Hadden said he first heard of the plan to reorient the field in May. Although he did not attend the council meetings, he and other softball members met with Gillott and a couple council members at the ballfield to go over it.

Varcoe said in an interview that the present plan to reorient the field has been in place at least three years and was discussed at council meetings. She said nothing was done in secret.

Even if a high fence is built to stop balls, as has been suggested, Hadden expressed misgivings.

Hadden said that men's softball is a family affair, with several players being closely related, and large numbers of families come together to watch the game. The annual Homer Dome Classic tournament, he estimated, brought a thousand people. They contribute to the Waymart economy by going to restaurants and so on.

All of this will be gone, he added, if the softball team no longer uses the Waymart facility.

They have about 15 players, and come from a large area, he said.

Just walking distance away is the Western Wayne school softball field near the Robert D. Wilson School which has a wide-open area. Hadden said that that field is also needed for school soccer practice.

Barna was praised by Hadden for all the work he has devoted to the ballfield to make it good for everyone. The Homer Dome Classic started a dozen years ago to raise money for the upgrade.

He said he did not want to take away from Little League. "I have two kids. They deserve a great field, but it could be a field built for everyone," he said.

The redesign also includes permanent lighting for night games, and addresses serious stormwater issues, Varcoe said.

The project was sent to bid in 2019 but the costs came in at around $800,000, far higher than the available funding allowed.

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Waymart Borough Council sends debated ballfield project to bid