MOOSE JAW — Memorial Field has been a fixture in the community for nearly 80 years, but parts of it will soon be demolished because some sections are deteriorating and have become unsafe.
The city built the venue in 1946 to honour veterans returning from the Second World War, while in 2019, it named the ball diamond after Lyle Helland, the long-term venue operator and a well-known volunteer.
However, after 78 years, the city has decided to demolish the grandstands — they were last renovated in 2001 — because of their age; the bleachers have been closed to the public since last year because they became a safety hazard.
After closing the grandstands, the parks and recreation department completed a preliminary structural assessment to determine if the bleachers could be salvaged and what options existed to renovate the site, Derek Blais, director of parks and rec, explained during city council’s June 24 executive committee meeting.
The assessment identified several risks with renovating the structure, so the department pursued a hazardous building materials assessment this year to determine the scope and potential costs of demolition, he continued.
That second assessment discovered that asbestos, lead, silica, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and mould and water damage were all present. Furthermore, the report suggested that contractors would have to take nine steps to dispose of the materials properly.
Development options
Based on the assessments’ findings, the parks and recreation department developed four options to address Memorial Field:
- Option 1: Demolish the grandstands and reconstruct the main amenities for $258,220
- Option 2: Demolish the grandstands, enlarge the field and reconstruct the main amenities for $302,220
- Option 3: Renovate the existing grandstands for $533,770
- Option 4: Demolish the entire site and relocate the venue’s users for $475,250
New main amenities will include a sound booth, maintenance shed, storage shed and electrical/irrigation utility building, while other upgrades from 2024 to 2026 will include replacing the players’ dugouts, enhancing the field lighting, replacing all exterior fencing and installing protective netting in right field, Blais said.
Furthermore, he continued, the city will install a large wood fence at the entrance to match the park’s historical façade and bring in two aluminum bleachers from the Yara Centre’s outdoor soccer fields for spectator seating.
Also, because the park would no longer have washrooms or changerooms, the city would rent two portable toilets to accommodate visitors.
City administration is recommending that council choose option 1 because it’s the most cost-effective, preserves the park’s historical character and meets the needs of the venue’s primary users, said Blais.
Council later voted 6-1 to adopt option 1; Coun. Kim Robinson was opposed. The recommendation will become official at the next regular council meeting.
Financial figures
Council approved $183,109 in the parks and rec department’s 2023 capital budget for a review of the grandstands and other amenities at Memorial Field, with the department using roughly $23,000 this year for the assessments, said Blais. That leaves $160,000, which the department will use for capital upgrades this year.
As part of option 1’s $258,220, the city will spend $87,720 next year and $170,550 in 2026 on reconstructing amenities, he added. Also, it will demolish the grandstands this October after the ball season ends and complete initial upgrades by next spring.
User input
The Moose Jaw Ladies Slo-Pitch has been operating Memorial Field since 2018 and is responsible for co-ordinating rentals and programs, maintaining the field and property and paying all electricity and natural gas costs, Blais said. Meanwhile, the city handles capital upgrades, commissioning and decommissioning of the irrigation systems and water costs.
Other users include co-ed slo-pitch, minor girls’ fastball, men’s fastball, minor baseball and little league and a fitness business.
Parks and rec met several times with the Ladies’ Slo-pitch League and, while members want to keep Memorial Field as is, they understand the city faces financial pressures and option 1 is the best solution, added Blais. Also, they want to keep a similar level of service, minus the washrooms and changing rooms.
Council comments
Robinson thought option 2 was “the smartest option” because the difference between it and option 1 was roughly $44,000, while the city should expand the ballpark now instead of waiting a few years and paying higher costs.
Pushing the fence further out would allow Moose Jaw to host more tournaments and use Memorial Field for the championship game, he continued. Also, with a larger field, it’s easier to bring in a fence than push it out.
“Perhaps one of the Hamilton Flats (fields) could be altered … so the ladies could have a field to call their own for a season,” Robinson added.
Option 2 would force the city to close the diamond for a year, so the ball teams would have to play at other diamonds for that season, said Blais. Furthermore, many games occur at night and require lights, so teams would likely play fewer games.
Coun. Jamey Logan supported option 1, knowing that the city could enlarge the diamond in the future and that the ladies’ slo-pitch league could play at other venues for a year.
“I have fallen in love with that field and now all the ladies have fallen in love with that field, so … this is a difficult one to bite,” said Mayor Clive Tolley, who played fastball at Memorial Field for 25 years.
Even though the city must demolish the grandstands — which will remove the changerooms, bathrooms and concessions — Memorial Field will still be a unique, interesting and world-class ballpark and “a very special place,” he continued.
Despite it being an option, Tolley didn’t see any reason to change the field’s dimensions because that would negatively affect the players who have competed there for years. Moreover, the city shouldn’t spend the money to do that because it must address roads and drainage issues.
“If something changes in the future, we can always revisit it and build something different,” he added. “But this is a solution for the time being and is within our budget.”
The next executive committee meeting is Monday, July 8.
