Visitors Ask Ellwood School Board to Reconsider Removing Baseball Field Lights

Visitors representing Ellwood City area baseball organizations urged council to reconsider its decision to remove the lights from Sanders Field, arguing that the district’s baseball program will decline without the ability to play night games.

The wooden light poles were installed in the early 1950’s and became a hallmark of the Ellwood area’s baseball program. At its January meeting, the board voted 6-3 to remove the wooden light poles following an accident in August when a pole collapsed, injuring a 13-year old girl and a man.

According to school board member Jennifer Tomon, the board chose to remove the lights due to continued safety concerns. A report issued in November 2017 recommended the lights be removed in two years and cautioned the poles wouldn’t withstand inclement weather.

[Read: Stadium Light Pole Fall Causes Severe Damages]

Tomon said the board couldn’t in good conscience leave the poles up knowing they remain a safety hazard and that someone else could be injured or killed.

Visitors argued the lights are a critical component of the area’s baseball culture.

Brad Meehan described the lights as part of Ellwood’s heritage and a “crowning jewel of our program.” Meehan said games this season were getting rained out or ending in ties due to darkness preventing completion.

Varsity baseball coach Jeff Fotia said the alternatives were adversely affecting the team. This season, the team was only able to play 12 or 13 games instead of its normal 20 and several practices had to be held in Ellport, which created transportation issues.

Parents and other visitors also emphasized how hard the student athletes practice throughout the pre-season and into the spring, only to be disappointed by games getting cancelled. Several people questioned whether the district would be able to field a full team in the coming years.

Ellwood City Area Chamber of Commerce President Ray Santillo spoke on behalf of cooperation between the board and baseball organizations and offered the chamber’s assistance in raising funds to replace the lights.

According to board member Danielle Woodhead, if the baseball boosters raise the full funds, labor costs will be cheaper as the prevailing wage for district labor will not be incurred.