Mossbank - Ball Diamonds

Take me out to the ball game... in Mossbank

The ball diamonds at Mossbank look so nice, it's almost a shame that people are going to walk on it with their dirty cleats.

The town's three diamonds recently underwent some upgrades.  The most noticeable one is the new red shale in the infields.  It replaced the gravel that was there previously.

The improvements also include the installation of new fences in the outfield.

"The outfield fencing was all boards, and the maintenance was killing us," said Mayor Carl Weiss.  "The lumber was all rotting, so we decided to get rid of it and put in chain link."

Other work included some landscaping and the construction of new dugouts.

The diamonds already see a fair amount of use in the summer from kids' teams, ladies softball and a slo-pitch league.

Town councillor David Gibson says the improvements to the diamonds were the topic of conversation among players and spectators during a recent kids' ball tournament.

"Some of the other towns were quite impressed," Gibson said. 

He also noted that the shale infield dried up very quickly after a sudden rainfall, allowing play to resume much sooner.

The town was hoping the improvements would make Mossbank an attractive location for some larger ball tournaments as well, and Mayor Weiss says that's exactly what's happened.

"The response has been just excellent, more than we figured," Mayor Weiss said.  "We had 25 teams registered for a two-day session.  It's been just surprising how well we've made out."

The mayor also sees evidence of the positive economic impact that improved facilities can bring.

"We have a trailer park next to the ball diamonds; it was booked solidly from people coming in with their trailers to stay overnight," he said.

The improvements cost just under $50,000.   Two-thirds of that came from the federal and provincial governments via the Recreational Infrastructure Canada program, which targeted community recreational facilities.

Mayor Weiss says the town is grateful for the provincial and federal investment.

"It's very helpful for a small town," he said.  "We have a lot of people who are coming in and looking at our area and they're interested in what facilities are available to people when they move.  That's one thing the ball diamonds have done... All of this seems to encourage people to choose Mossbank to live in."