‘New chapter of baseball’: ball field gets upgrade funding

Kelowna has received a grant of $72,500 from the Jays Care Foundation to upgrade the baseball fields at Edith Gay Park.

The city, in partnership with the Central Okanagan Minor Baseball Association, will provide an equal amount.

The upgrades are expected to begin in May and be completed by next April.

“Demand for our sports fields and ball diamonds continues to rise as our population grows and we are excited to provide upgrades like this that help make our facilities better and more accessible while supporting our local sport organizations,” Doug Nicholas, the city’s sport and event services manager, said. “We are so grateful for the support of both Jays Care Foundation and COMBA and we’re looking forward to getting these upgrades started in the coming days.”

Field #1 will receive a fence extension, backstop padding, dugout extension, accessibility improvements, bleachers, and infield upgrades.

“We are very excited about having this work finalized and seeing the kids hit the upgraded field,” Daryle Assman, first vice president at COMBA, said.

“Edith Gay fields have such a rich baseball history, and this is going to be a massive improvement for our field and the safety of our players and spectators, allowing another new chapter of baseball for the next generation using these facilities.”