Rocco Frangione

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“A group of us moms each took a day off work every week to help each other look after our children,” Munn said.

The Village of Sundridge plans to develop a flag raising policy. Article content

Article content Article content The Jays organization has awarded the Village $50,000 under its Field of Dreams program to carry out extensive improvements to the local ball diamond.

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Toronto Blue Jays donate $50,000 to improve Burk's Falls ball diamond Toronto Blue Jays donate $50,000 to improve Burk's Falls ball diamond Author of the article: • Local Journalism Initiative Article content The boys and girls who make up the Burk's Falls Boltz in the Almaguin Softball League will soon enjoy a much-improved ball field at Knights Brothers Park thanks to the Toronto Blue Jays. Advertisement 2 Article content Toronto Blue Jays donate $50,000 to improve Burk's Falls ball diamond Back to video The Jays organization has awarded the Village $50,000 under its Field of Dreams program to carry out extensive improvements to the local ball diamond. Article content Town councillor Ryan Baptiste, who also coaches the Boltz, says the bulk of the money will be spent to repair and replace sections of the fence that run along the first and third baselines “because they're starting to collapse and fall apart”. The backstop will also be repaired and improved. “Ideally we'd like to extend the height of the backstop and the fencing in front of the dugouts to keep the kids a little safer and protect some of the cars that park nearby,” Baptiste said. In addition, Baptiste says roof coverings over both dugouts will be created to provide shade for the young players on those hot, sunny days. Advertisement 3 Article content The wooden dugout benches will also likely be replaced with metal benches, so they last longer. The ball diamond currently has two new bleachers, each behind both dugouts. Baptiste says a third bleacher may be added behind the backstop. Money will also be used to improve the infield which is made up of old aggregate. “Some of the kids would like to see red dirt on the infield,” Baptiste said. “The aggregate is now very soft. When someone hits a ball into the infield it just dies. But using red dirt makes it safer to play on and makes for a better playing surface because the ball carries further. It also requires less maintenance”. Baptiste says the outfield grass is another issue. “We'd like to add top soil and level it,” he said. Advertisement 4 Article content “The grass is very uneven and causes trouble for kids running on it.” He adds the local public works employees do a great job keeping it as level as they can. The entire project is estimated to cost $76,000. Town council has approved taking the remaining $26,000 from its reserve fund to carry out the work with the goal of replenishing the reserves by selling advertising. Baptiste says the fence is made up of 43 sections, each section being able to support a small billboard sign. He wants to reserve two sections for the Jays with signs recognizing the baseball team's generosity. “There isn't a chance we could have done this work with the Field of Dreams program,” Baptiste said. “It's a project that would have been way out of the ballpark for us. But now it's a no brainer. You're getting $50,000 for free if you put up $26,000”. Advertisement 5 Article content Baptiste says businesses and organizations in the Almaguin Highlands will be approached to advertise on the remaining 41 sections. He adds the annual ad rate has yet to be determined. There are two ball diamonds at Knights Brothers Park. The present field undergoing the improvements is the one that sees regular play. Baptiste says he rates the condition of this field at B minus. The second ball diamond is in worse condition and Baptiste gives it a D minus. This field is only used during tournaments when all six teams in the league gather in Burk's Falls for a weekend July tournament. Baptiste says work to upgrade this field is a project for the future. This is Baptiste's first term as a town councillor. When he campaigned for office, Baptiste said one of his priorities was to focus more on recreational programs for kids. Advertisement 6 Article content In preparing the Field of Dreams application with municipal staff, he explained the softball league is made up of boys and girls who are 8 to 12 years old. Being a mixed league played a role in Burk's Falls being awarded the grant. “Until I had a daughter, I had no idea the barriers some girls face staying involved in sports,” Baptiste said. “Once girls hit 13 that's it for them – they're done.” Baptiste said the Jays are very supportive of seeing more girls becoming involved in sports and he said the aim of the local league is to eventually expand the age category for girls up to the age of 17. “The Jays are on board with that,” he said. The village's clerk, Denis Duguay, was the first to get word that the Jays approved the application and immediately called Baptiste. Advertisement 7 Article content “He asked me how I was doing and then said ‘we heard back from the Jays, and we got the $50,000'”, Baptiste said. Duguay added the condition was the village had to come up with the remaining $26,000. Baptiste is now working with municipal staff to develop a tender for the project which will go out before the end of the month. He expects field work to begin in June which coincides with the start of the season. “The league has been kind enough to allow us to play in other municipalities for the first five weeks, so our games don't interfere with the work,” he said. Fifteen players make up the Burk's Falls Boltz, and they were excited to learn their ball diamond is being improved. Josh Holmes, who is 12, is playing his first full year with the Boltz after playing in some games last year. Advertisement 8 Article content He's fast and likes to play second base. “Most of the players hit to second base, and I want to catch the ball,” he said. The pre-teen first joined the Boltz to do something. “But it ended up being more than something to do,” he said. “It became fun”. Eleven-year-old Lila Baptiste, the town councillor's daughter, mostly plays back-catcher and sometimes pitches. She says it's been enjoyable especially since the local school program doesn't offer baseball. Ryan Baptiste hopes the field improvements can be completed by late June and that will be followed by an official opening ceremony sometime during July. He says staff with the Blue Jays organization will definitely be invited to that opening ceremony. Baptiste adds despite it being the height of the season for Major League Baseball, he's hoping a few Jays players can also make it to the opening. “It won't hurt to ask,” he said. Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Toronto Blue Jays donate $50,000 to improve Burk's Falls ball diamond Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake This Week in Flyers

Author of the article: Rocco Frangione • Local Journalism Initiative Published May 14, 2024 • Last updated 16 minutes ago • 5 minute read The boys and girls who make up the Burk's Falls Boltz in the Almaguin Softball League will soon enjoy a much-improved ball field at Knights Brothers Park thanks to the Toronto Blue Jays. Advertisement 2 Article content The Jays organization has awarded the Village $50,000 under its Field of Dreams program to carry out extensive improvements to the local ball diamond. Article content Town councillor Ryan Baptiste, who also coaches the Boltz, says the bulk of…

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The Village of Sundridge needs $129,870 more this year over 2023 to run the municipality.