Niverville Councillor John Funk, along with the public works department, were busy performing some much-needed improvements to the baseball diamonds in Hespeler Park this summer. Covered dugouts were installed, providing sheltered seating for players during games and practices. 

“All of the repairs to the baseball diamonds were done by the public works department,” Funk says. “We had not budgeted for the dugouts, so to keep costs down we decided to do all the work ourselves. I volunteered my time to head up the construction [along] with the help of the public works employees.”

Funk says that covered dugouts are a requirement in order to host provincial baseball playoffs. The Niverville Youth Baseball will now be able to submit an application to Baseball Manitoba to host either the U11 or U13 provincials in 2019. They will be notified later this fall if Niverville’s location is selected.

But even if Niverville Youth Baseball isn’t successful in hosting the provincials next summer, Funk is confident the dugouts will be appreciated by anyone using the diamonds.

“The baseball diamonds in Hespeler Park are well used by all age levels of children as well as adult slow pitch teams,” says Funk.

Ryan Dyck, Niverville’s Operations Manager, worked with the public works department and made good use of the balmy summer temperatures, adding some further enhancements to the baseball diamonds and soccer fields. Repairs were made to the soccer goal creases, and four new soccer pitches were added just west of the two main pitches. Fencing repairs were also completed around the baseball diamond outfields.

Beyond the sporting area, push-button access was added to the picnic shelter washrooms, drainage culverts were repaired around the park, and the old tunnel was removed in the children’s play area.

Weather permitting, more upgrades are anticipated this fall before the snow flies. Dyck and his team plan on providing some further landscaping around the timber frame building by the wetlands and new walking paths are still intended to be finished, connecting the existing paved path to the wetlands.