Salina's Berkley Family Recreation Area will see baseball field improvements

Charles Rankin, Salina Journal
·2 min read

More baseball fields at Berkley Family Recreation Area will be updated after the city of Salina and Salina Baseball Enterprises reached an agreement Monday.

The improvements will be coming to Wilbur Field and James Matson Field at the recreation area, with the city commission approving to provide 30% of the $3.4 million cost for the project.

During the commission meeting Monday, City Manager Mike Schrage said this move comes after the city commission approved a similar agreement with Salina Baseball for improvements at Dean Evans Stadium, which is also located at the recreation area.

An aerial view of Wilbur field near Dean Evans Stadium. Wilbur is one of two fields at Berkley Family Recreation Area that will get improvements after an agreement between the City of Salina and Salina Baseball Enterprises.
An aerial view of Wilbur field near Dean Evans Stadium. Wilbur is one of two fields at Berkley Family Recreation Area that will get improvements after an agreement between the City of Salina and Salina Baseball Enterprises.

"That work is completed and (the stadium) is in use," Schrage said.

Salina Baseball Enterprise's Kenny Hancock spoke to the commission and said much of the improvements will be similar to what was done at Dean Evans, but on a smaller scale.

"Playing field work is really where most of the project (will improve)," Hancock said. "It (includes) turf, a grading system, lighting ... scoreboard, all the fencing, both end's dugouts and things like that."

Commissioner Bill Longbine asked about the timeline for the improvements and Hancock said he hoped work would begin within the next few months.

"Might we start in October, maybe," Hancock said. "(For Dean Evans) we started in November and we played ball in March, so we're still a long way from being too late to play ball next year on Wilbur Field."

In the end, the commission voted 5-0 in favor of the agreement.

Other commission meeting business

The Salina City Commission also discussed and voted on the following items during its meeting Monday.

  • Approved Industrial Revenue Bonds for Beck's Hybrid Seeds company, which plans to build a facility on N. Ohio Street.

  • Approved the acceptance of easement and rights-of-way for the Lakeview Estates Addition No. 3 development.

  • Approved, on second reading, ordinances to both annex and change the zoning of land on the ease side of South Ohio and the Stone Lake Addition.

  • Recessed for an executive session for attorney-client privilege in relation to the pending case of Tim LePage vs. City of Salina and Larry Mullikin. No action was taken.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina approves financial stake in improvements to baseball fields