Bowdoinham’s baseball field and two softball fields will soon receive a much-needed facelift.
The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, the organization that is redeveloping the former Brunswick Naval Air Station, is donating all the fencing, light poles and other electrical materials from the former base’s softball fields to the Bowdoinham Recreational Department.
“We will be fencing all our fields and adding the lights to give us one of the top baseball, softball facilities in the area,” said Chris Whitney, Bowdoinham’s recreation director.
Currently, the fields have temporary fencing that is old and needs to be replaced.
Whitney said these improvements would bring Bowdoinham recreational fields up to current-day standards. The fields would be able to host big weekly tournaments of any age level, which will increase traffic from people outside of the town and benefit the local businesses at large, Whitney said.
“We can host tournaments every weekend and even during the week, all summer long and through the fall. It is going to be a big economic boom for a small town like Bowdoinham,” said Whitney. “It will bring in foot traffic to the town.”
This donation, according to Whitney, saves the recreational department from having to spend thousands of dollars on the equipment.
A group of volunteers have started taking down the fence at the Navy station’s baseball and softball fields. They plan to take them all down by the end of November.
“These donated unused fences are going to help move us forward. It provides us with fencing that we have been looking for 10 years now. We never had any resources in terms of funds,” said Steve Cox, the lead volunteer of the project.
Cox has been maintaining these fields for the past 15 years and aims to continue maintaining them just purely as a volunteer.
The department will start erecting these fencing on Bowdoinham’s fields next spring, followed by setting up lamp posts. However, the entire cost of setting up is not determined yet.
“We have had a great deal and some great communication with the Public Works Department here,” said Whitney. “They are offering to lend a hand to move the project and help us when they have time on their schedule.”
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