It’s been five months since fire broke out at Frank Ernaga Field at Memorial Park, razing the old wooden bleachers behind home plate, damaging the snack bar, the upstairs press box, trees, electrical equipment and the newly constructed restrooms for the park.
Some repairs have been made, but the college and high school baseball teams are trying to finalize their schedules, and they don’t know when the repairs will be completed, so they don’t know if they should schedule any home games this spring.
Eric Perry, a spokesman for the Lassen High School baseball team, appeared during public comment at the Susanville City Council’s Wednesday, Dec. 3 meeting. Lassen Community College baseball coaches Frank Avila and Don Deal also attended the meeting.
Before his three-minutes of public comment expired, Perry said, “Last summer’s fire devastated a major piece of our community. It burned the stands, the bleachers and completely destroyed the backstop netting. Since then, our programs have been patient, cooperative and hopeful that the field would be restored for the upcoming season. As we stand here today we are growing increasingly concerned that we will not have any home games this season. The season quickly approaches, and both the high school and the junior college teams are facing the real possibility of not being able to host a single baseball game at Memorial Park this spring.
“This isn’t just about baseball, it’s a gathering place for families, friends and it’s a huge event every time there is a ballgame down there. As you can see, any time Lassen College hosts a playoff game, the place is packed. Same with Lassen High School, and over the past several years, both teams have hosted playoff games. That generates revenue within the community, and it generates excitement about our sports.
“Susanville is a baseball city. Our kids have worked too hard, our coaches have volunteered entirely too much time. As it is, we put thousands of miles on the road playing away because we have to deal with the weather in Susanville.
“I think what we’re asking tonight is, ‘What’s the plan?’ We would like some clarity on the city’s current plan and what sort of timelines are expected. I do all the scheduling for our program at the high school, and our coaches want to know, is your field going to be playable? … I assume coach Frank is dealing with many of the same things as well. We simply need to know where we stand so we can plan responsibly for our athletes, our families and for our programs.
“And the second question — what is the contingency plan if this cannot happen in time? Is there another agency in the event somebody said they can’t do it due to weather. We’ve had incredible weather over the last few months and we’ve just kind of watched this thing still not happen.
“Most importantly, we need a net, first and foremost. Big beautiful grandstands — we understand that might not happen right away. But we need a net. We can’t play a game without a backstop net. It’s a safety issue, and we will not be able to do that without one.”
Mayor Mendy Schuster told Perry his time had expired.
Later in the meeting, the council approved continuing the emergency situation at Memorial Park, allowing the city to dispense with the competitive bid process for repairs at the facility.
City Manager Dan Newton said any work at the field is subject to review by the city’s insurance company, and that’s where the city is in the process.
He said the city has a $70,000 bid for temporary netting and a $91,000 bid from a new contractor, and the city hopes for approval from the insurance company soon.
Deal said he thought the Lassen Municipal Utility District might be willing to donate the work to set the poles and hang the netting.
Schuster told the coaches the city was doing everything it can, and the repairs at the park are a top priority. She said the item has been on every council meeting agenda since the fire.
“We’ve talked about it a lot, and we want them (the players) on that field,” Schuster said.
Newton said more information may be available at the council’s Dec. 17 meeting.
Source: Lassen News
