Council To Consider Softball/Baseball Complex

Next week at Monday's Gillette City Council Meeting, the council is expected to consider a bid award for a Gillette softball/baseball complex project to Van Ewing Construction. The long discussed project at the Field of Dreams site will be contingent upon the approval of a fiscal year 2012/13 budget amendment. Engineering and Development Services Director Dustin Hamilton said there are a variety of construction options for council members to consider.

"There were 15 different schedules that we got prices for, some of which were alternate some were not."--Hamilton

The council is expected to consider whether or not to build the west fields which would be fields 1 through 4. The council would then have to consider other aspects of the project including paving, drainage, water, and sanitary sewer. Whatever the combination of construction options, City Administrator Carter Napier said he was not comfortable with the council considering any number for the four fields (and additional infrastructure) above 9.9 million dollars.

Council members remained split in the discussion of the topic last night. Council President Kevin McGrath as well as Councilmen Everett Boss and Robin Kuntz remain opposed to the project entirely. McGrath said he'd like to see the focus of the council to be paying off any debt, while Boss voiced concern that the whole project continues to move too fast for his liking.  Gillette Mayor Tom Murphy and Councilwoman Louis Carter-King continue to be advocates for the softball/baseball field complex, saying the growth of Gillette makes it a priority. Council member Ted Jerred has shown growing opposition to the project and last night council member John Opseth said only that he wanted until Wednesday to look at the numbers more closely.

Public Information Officer Joe Lunne said its important to note that what will happen with the softball/baseball complex or other projects at the Field of Dreams has not yet been decided.

"We are working on putting in the infrastructure in the softball and baseball fields at this point. People talk about the Field of Dreams, that was the planning process, that’s done, so lets move on from that. Now we are dealing with Dustin and his group. The Public Works folks are working on getting bidding to put in some fields which was the crux of why we started this project in the first place."

Lunne added that he felt there are still some misconceptions about the Field of Dreams and the softball/baseball complex project.

"I think the biggest misconception is that we are going to do the whole thing at once. We are looking at phasing and even on this phase obviously, with the bids and the way they broke it down, that could be phased in too."---Lunne

Next Monday's Gillette City Council meeting is scheduled for 7pm.

For More on Field Of Dreams Project: http://www.ci.gillette.wy.us/index.aspx?page=1177