(Jan. 26, 2017) Berlin Little League is hoping to raise $50,000 to install lighting on one of its fields.
Currently, the baseball and softball seasons cannot start earlier than April and extend longer than mid-June – because of weather restrictions and the start of playoffs, respectively – so the league is looking into the addition of night games to accommodate a growing number of players.
Berlin Little League annually serves more than 500 children. The league owns the fields and the town provides services, including electricity, to the facility as a public service.
On Monday, the Town of Berlin agreed to provide labor to install the lighting systems. Taylor Bank will provide matching funds to pay for the estimated $100,000 total cost to light “Field D.”
The six-pole system would cost approximately $87,000, plus $13,000 in additional materials and third-party costs.
Berlin Little League Treasurer Tripper Heckscher met with the town’s electric utilities director, Tim Lawrence, in November asking for an estimate on the labor to install the lights. Lawrence provided a quote of $13,680.
“Having the lights on the field would take that league to the next level,” Heckscher said during a mayor and council meeting on Monday. He added the improvements would help the league grow and allow more children in the area to participate, as well as help drive new revenue to the town.
Berlin Little League is one of two finalists to host the Little League of America Intermediate Division Regional Tournament in late July.
For those reasons, Heckscher asked the town to donate the labor.
Lawrence said that would include drilling holes for the bases to the lighting poles, some 13-feet deep and 30 inches around, and said contractors with Delmarva Power, Choptank Electric and CW Wright Construction had already agreed to donate additional vehicles, labor and equipment to help install the systems.
“The entire operation has been a source of community pride for generations,” Mayor Gee Williams said. “That facility is one of the best in the state … it continues to improve, and quite frankly I think the improvements have accelerated in the last decade or so. It’s a community asset on a number of levels.”
Williams added the league had become a source of economic impact for the town.
The council voted unanimously to approve the donation of labor, at no monetary cost to the town and assuming it would not overburden the workload of the electric utilities department.
Heckscher said the league had already raised $7,500 toward its $50,000 goal and that a timeline on installation would depend on how quickly the remaining balance could be solicited.
To donate, contact Berlin Little League Vice President of Operations Eric Snelsire at 412-977-3882 or email e.snelsire@gmail.com. For more information, visit www.berlinlittleleague.org.
Currently, the baseball and softball seasons cannot start earlier than April and extend longer than mid-June – because of weather restrictions and the start of playoffs, respectively – so the league is looking into the addition of night games to accommodate a growing number of players.
Berlin Little League annually serves more than 500 children. The league owns the fields and the town provides services, including electricity, to the facility as a public service.
On Monday, the Town of Berlin agreed to provide labor to install the lighting systems. Taylor Bank will provide matching funds to pay for the estimated $100,000 total cost to light “Field D.”
The six-pole system would cost approximately $87,000, plus $13,000 in additional materials and third-party costs.
Berlin Little League Treasurer Tripper Heckscher met with the town’s electric utilities director, Tim Lawrence, in November asking for an estimate on the labor to install the lights. Lawrence provided a quote of $13,680.
“Having the lights on the field would take that league to the next level,” Heckscher said during a mayor and council meeting on Monday. He added the improvements would help the league grow and allow more children in the area to participate, as well as help drive new revenue to the town.
Berlin Little League is one of two finalists to host the Little League of America Intermediate Division Regional Tournament in late July.
For those reasons, Heckscher asked the town to donate the labor.
Lawrence said that would include drilling holes for the bases to the lighting poles, some 13-feet deep and 30 inches around, and said contractors with Delmarva Power, Choptank Electric and CW Wright Construction had already agreed to donate additional vehicles, labor and equipment to help install the systems.
“The entire operation has been a source of community pride for generations,” Mayor Gee Williams said. “That facility is one of the best in the state … it continues to improve, and quite frankly I think the improvements have accelerated in the last decade or so. It’s a community asset on a number of levels.”
Williams added the league had become a source of economic impact for the town.
The council voted unanimously to approve the donation of labor, at no monetary cost to the town and assuming it would not overburden the workload of the electric utilities department.
Heckscher said the league had already raised $7,500 toward its $50,000 goal and that a timeline on installation would depend on how quickly the remaining balance could be solicited.
To donate, contact Berlin Little League Vice President of Operations Eric Snelsire at 412-977-3882 or email e.snelsire@gmail.com. For more information, visit www.berlinlittleleague.org.