At a regular City Council Meeting on Monday, September 11, representatives from the Kimberley Slo-Pitch League presented their idea for creating four new, regulation sized slo-pitch diamonds in Kimberley.
The league was established over 20 years ago. Since then they have created over 20 teams and have approximately 210 members. In 2017, they have played up to 300 games.
“32 of those games were played in Wasa because we did not have the field space to meet the needs of a growing league,” said representative Surrena Craig.
The group suggested the location of the potential new industrial park for the four fields, along with bathrooms, concession booths, parking and even a camp ground.
Craig presented their idea to council, explaining that the group wants to open a dialogue, with their main focus revolving around safety issues.
“Why do we want to do this? Our number one reason is safety,” said Craig. “Safety for our players, safety for our kids and safety for our communities. Our fields right now are not regulation size and I would consider them to be in poor playing condition. We’ve had a number of injuries on the field, related to how the shapes of the field are. How do we create safer spaces to play in?
“Slo-pitch is really unique because it’s adult. This isn’t a kids sport, it’s really geared towards adults and it’s harder to find funding and harder to get people involved. So we know we’re in for a bit of a challenge there but we’re up for it.”
Craig explained that the league plays at Rotary Park as well as in Marysville, and that the City has already agreed to install netting in the outfield because of where the playgrounds are located and the associated safety concerns.
“We’ve had our players hit into the tennis courts, the curling rink, homes being hit, their RV’s and vehicles hit as well,” Craig said.
Council addressed the group asking what the costs would look like, and the league responded by saying that the potential cost is $1 million. They explained that their numbers are from previous cost analysis’ done in Cranbrook and Invermere.
“Another bonus is economic development,” said Craig. “Having slo-pitch kind of builds on the idea of Kimberley being a year-round recreational spot. Our tournaments could see an additional 500 to 700 people, and their families. If we do get to a quad field, we could host anywhere from 12 to 24 teams which brings in between 10 and 14 players at a time plus their spouses and kids. So of course the local hotels, restaurants, camping grounds and other businesses would benefit from that.”
Craig also mentioned that they could create an opportunity to certify umpires, as there are few in the East Kootenay region at this time.
The league says they can create a non-profit society, fundraise to build the parks, increase league fees, host revenue generating tournaments and partner with service organizations.
Councillor Sandra Roberts says that with regards to their location choice, the league needs to explore the possibility of land.
Several other councillors agreed and suggested various other locations for them to explore, stating that perhaps the light industrial approach is not the right fit.