Improvements made to Polson softball fields
courtesy photo
Tom Fieber, left, a member of the Polson Softball Association who spearheaded the fundraising, is joined by Dave Ottun, Dave Templeton and Larry Smith at the new entrance to the Polson softball fields.
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POLSON — Work to improve the Polson softball fields is showing progress.
The lighting project will be starting in July once the girls finish summer softball. After a late start waiting for funding last fall, the committee decided not to start work on the field lights and drainage due to possible weather delays. As it turned out we were lucky that groundwork had not started. December brought 25 to 35 below zero temperatures for more than a week. February brought 200-percent record snows that stayed on the ground clear into March. With the State Softball Tournament scheduled for May we realized just how lucky we were.
We started work again right after the Splash Tournament was over in June. Volunteers rebuilt backstops on two of the fields, a video security system was installed, a new public address system was added, the new north parking lot was completed and new entrance gate and signs were added.
Funding for these projects came from Polson High School and Polson Rotary. Money raised last summer through Rotary’s Festival for Youth event and softball families is being used for drainage, signage and field lights. We certainly apologize that work was not completed before the state tournament this spring but all should be completed before season starts next spring.
Polson’s hosting of the state tournament went extremely well. Participating schools and umpires went out of their way to thank Polson on how the tournament went. Thanks goes to Athletic Director Scott Wilson, the High School maintenance crew and all the volunteers that spent days preparing and running the tournament.
Polson is a wonderful community that supports these programs. Volunteers who provide labor and expertise, businesses that contribute materials and time and organizations that help raise funds that make it all possible. Dave Templeton and Tom Fieber built the new entrance sign stand with advice from Dave Mercer of Mercer Welding. Dave Ottun from Western Building Center provided the forklift to place the stand. Jerry Whealon poured the concrete for the stands. A special thanks to Jim Nesladek who donated and painted the new signs.
It is said that it takes a village to raise a child. It is hard to say how many children have been raised in our village that have benefited from this program, but I know that I am very proud to be a part of it.
