City of Centralia to begin removing rotting wooden light poles from Fort Borst Park softball fields next week

Owen Sexton, The Chronicle, Centralia, Wash.
·3 min read

Aug. 23—While the Centralia City Council approved the use of $1.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to install artificial turf on field number three at the Fort Borst Park softball complex and Wheeler Field along with other improvements in June, Deputy City Manager and Parks Director Amy Buckler has informed the council of another pressing issue at the park.

Existing wooden light poles at Borst Park fields are rotting and could fall, posing a safety issue that needs to be addressed immediately, Buckler told the Centralia City Council during a Tuesday night meeting.

Buckler said, starting next week, Centralia City Light will begin removing poles from the softball fields.

City staff warned in June of potential problems with the light poles, and upon further investigation, those suspicions were confirmed. Throughout the softball fields and Wheeler Field, a total of 40 wooden light poles are installed.

"Out of the 40 total poles, 23 of them are rotten and need to be removed," Buckler told the council.

The poles are rotting from the inside out. According to Buckler, they were installed in the mid- or late-80s and have reached the end of their serviceable lives, meaning the 17 that aren't rotting need to be replaced too.

"It is a safety issue, so we need to take them down before the winds and the rains of winter," Buckler said. "That way, nobody will get hurt and we won't damage any of the infrastructure at the sports complex."

The poles at Wheeler Field will remain for the time being, though, as Buckler explained one rotten pole there currently has an osprey nest on its top.

"There are rules and guidance from the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department (WDFW) that we need and want to follow before we do any work on Wheeler Field," Buckler said.

WDFW staff are currently working with city staff to possibly assist with moving the osprey nest to a WDFW-provided platform.

As for the pole removal plan, the poles will first be cut to a height of 12 feet to remove immediate fall risk. This will also leave the existing electrical connection intact for the installation of the new poles.

The new poles will be metal.

"The metal and wooden poles cost about the same amount of money," Buckler said.

Along with the new metal poles, the lighting system will be upgraded to LED lights instead of Halide stadium lights, which will both improve nighttime lighting and save the city money.

Aside from the ARPA funds, Buckler said the Centralia parks board is looking into grant opportunities to see if they can turf more than just the two initially proposed fields.

She added the parks board is planning to bring a formal proposal to the council next month to prioritize installing new lights at Wheeler Field since the relocation of the osprey nest could delay the installation.

Buckler told the council this could be done with existing funds and without tapping into the $1.4 million in ARPA funds already set aside for turfing and improvements.

"It would be nice to have Wheeler done and lighted before the next season so we can continue having championship games and tournaments there," Buckler said.