A new backstop could be the first of several improvement projects at Coach Jimmy Isaacson Field at H.T. Custer Park.
Galesburg aldermen Tuesday will be asked to approve a bid in the amount of $180,000 for the design, construction and installation of a new backstop and baseline netting system for the baseball diamond located at H.T. Custer Park.
Don Miles, Director of Parks & Recreation, notes in the agenda item that “the existing netting is in very poor shape and does not provide an adequate level of protection for the patrons in attendance at games.”
All vendors provided pricing to install #36 baseball netting, which is the gauge recommended for high school and college level players. Since the baseball diamond primarily hosts high school and college level teams, safety and durability of the appropriate netting gauge was highly considered during the proposal reviews.
McScot Golf Inc. of Galena provided the lowest price to complete the project in the amount of $180,339.
Galesburg Youth Baseball League is the only league that currently uses the diamond on a regular basis.
Miles tells WGIL if this project is approved by council on Tuesday, the contractor will most likely start demolition approximately the last week of October. Barring weather setbacks, he anticipates competition of the backstop and netting project before Thanksgiving.
Other improvements at Isaacson Field that have been discussed, according to Miles, are renovation of the dugouts and concession/scorekeepers building and a new scoreboard.
“But it all depends on whether there will be sufficient funds available in future budgets to accommodate them,” Miles said. “The backstop and netting is the first step, which will be a huge improvement to the diamond.
The Galesburg City Council meets at 6 p.m Tuesday at City Hall. The meeting was moved from its normal Monday date due to Labor Day.
