As it has for many consecutive meetings, the Susanville City Council unanimously approved an emergency situation at Frank Ernaga Field, the baseball park at Memorial Park ravaged by fire last year.
Continuing the emergency allows the city administration to take the actions necessary to resolve the emergency.
But at the council’s April 1 meeting, a new issue arose — damage to the field created when a subcontractor brought a 40,000-pound piece of equipment onto the field and created ruts and indentations that could pose a safety hazard for Lassen Community College and Lassen High School players and their opponents who compete on the field.
The contractor — recommended by the city’s insurance carrier — who hired the subcontractor to do some electrical work at the field has been fired, and a local firm will complete the tasks. City staff also made repairs to the field.
City Manager Dan Newton said the subcontractor did not get clearance to use such a heavy piece of equipment on the field, and was even told not to drive the heavy machine onto the field.
Newton said in hindsight, it might have been better to use a local contractor for the job.
The machine malfunctioned on the field and local contractor Mike Kirack removed the non-functioning equipment.
Councilmember Patrick Parrish asked if the contractor had been paid yet, and Newton said he had not — “so we have options.”
Source: Lassen News
