LAC LA BICHE - Admitting it was a dropped ball, but thankful it was caught before the change would cost even more, Lac La Biche County council have agreed to pay about $135,000 more to increase the infield size of a new baseball diamond being built at the Bold Center sports fields.
The additional funds will come out of the contingency funding already set aside for cost over-runs built into the three-phases construction project that includes a football field, running track, spectator stands, three baseball diamonds and a municipal campsite. Each of the three phases have planning and construction costs of approximately $5 million. Contingency funds of at least 10 per cent are generally built into the budgets for large-scale projects.
The needed changes to the infield of one of the three baseball fields has to be made to accommodate adult-level baseball games, moving what had been 70-foot distances between bases to 90 foot baselines. The error was noticed after irrigation and drainage construction had taken place and following the purchase of materials.
Lac La Biche County's recreation boss Darrell Lessmeister says additional loads of infield shale alone will be increased by $60,000 to cover the additional area. A drainage blanket to help remove moisture on the diamond will also see an increased cost of about $40,000 to correct the oversight.
County councillor Lorin Tkachuk who has been part of the sports fields planning since it began, said the the exact cost breakdown of $135,484 and 54 cents will come out of the contingency funding set out in the Phase 3 budget.
"It's a lesson learned," said Tkachuk. "It was caught early enough that the costs is not going to be exorbitant ... it is a lesson learned, and let's move forward."
Although all of council voted to increase the funding and correct the error, not all were happy about it.
Councillor Darlene Beniuk reminded council that the swing and a miss is a costly strike against the project and its budget.
"I would say that $136,000 is a chunk of change," she said, directing her response to Tkachuk. "You make it sound like its quite miniscule."
Tkachuk said the oversight was likely the result of poor communication between the main planning committee and sub-committee members assigned to different tasks over the last three years of planning.
"When there is a sub-committee working, we need to meet with those sub-committees," he said.
In past discussions about the construction of the baseball diamonds, municipal officials have said the plan had always been to have the smaller sized infields.
Work to fix the error is slated to begin this week.
Downtown diamond debate
Lac La Biche County councillor are also expecting to discuss local baseball issues further at an upcoming meeting with members of the Lac La Biche Minor Ball Association. Association members have created a petition trying to keep the main baseball diamond currently in Lac La Biche's downtown recreation grounds. The new, larger diamond at the Bold Center sports fields is supposed to replace the main downtown diamond. Opposition to the removal of the downtown diamond is based on the history and heritage of the site as a gathering area and sports field.
The removal of the old diamond is part of the new McArthur Park Master Plan. A final part of the plan's public engagement schedule earlier this year saw the majority of 300 respondents to an online survey preferring a new look for the area that didn't include the long-serving baseball diamond. Municipal planners have said the new master plan is an attempt to move away from 'sports-based' activities in the downtown recreation area and create more leisure space.
The master plan has yet to be formally adopted by council. A decision on the document is expected at the upcoming May 11 council meeting.
