It's game-on for three of the four baseball diamonds at Legion Memorial Park this weekend now that the city has reopened them for play.
City officials closed all four diamonds earlier this week after a diesel fire on the mosquito diamond on July 16. Ground crews had poured and set alight gasoline and diesel on the mosquito diamond's mound and bases to dry them for a tournament, contaminating them with fuel. The city closed the other diamonds until they could also be checked for contamination.
Researchers tested the three other diamonds this week and found signs of hydrocarbon contamination at the bases and pitcher's mounds, said city environmental manager Leah Jackson. "We are assuming that it is from the use of hydrocarbons to dry those infield areas."
A health specialist found that fuel levels at the bantam and peewee diamonds were too low to affect people, so they're safe to play on and will reopen this weekend. The pitcher's mound on the midget diamond had higher levels that could cause harmful fumes. The city has ordered that diamond closed until the top three inches of clay are replaced.
That work was under way Friday, said Mayor Nolan Crouse, so the diamond would likely be open this weekend. The mosquito diamond, which was damaged during the clean up after the July 16 spill, will be under repairs for the summer.
Crouse was glad most of the fields were open again. "Our intent isn't to stop people from playing baseball," he said — the priority here was safety. "We're not going to kill minor [league] baseball in this town."
Coach relieved
St. Albert Minor Baseball Association president Ed Ewasiuk was not available for an interview, but said his group was working with the city and planned to reopen its diamonds this weekend.
Games are scheduled for the midget, bantam, and peewee diamonds this weekend, according to the association's website, with the midget AAA provincials scheduled for next Thursday.
It's been a frustrating time for the St. Albert Tigers, said coach Kurtus Millar, as they had to move their most recent home game to Fort Saskatchewan instead of playing at Legion. He hoped the midget diamond reopens next week in time for provincials; if it doesn't, they'll have to practice on the bantam field and play in Fort Saskatchewan.
Millar said he'd seen crews use diesel fires to dry out about a dozen fields in Canada, and was surprised by the city's reaction. "I've seen whole diamonds poured and lit up," he said. "What we saw is minor compared to everything else."
He doesn't fault the groundskeepers or the city, he said, as both were just doing their job. "I didn't think it was this serious of a problem. Obviously, now we know."
Next steps
Crews will move in after the playoff season to remove the contaminated soil, Jackson says. "People shouldn't worry about it." Further tests will be done to determine how to remediate the four diamonds.
The city has yet to discuss who will pay for the repairs, Crouse said. "The first priority was just to get the assessment done." The fire was an old practice that has since fallen out of favour, he continued, and would not affect the baseball association's lease on the fields. "There was a waste site down in Riel that was legal in the 1970s that we're remediating today," he noted.
Local baseball fans have learned their lesson, Millar said, and now know not to use fire to dry out diamonds. "I guess we're just going to have to let Mother Nature do its thing now."
