Submitted by the Nelson Baseball Association
The Nelson Baseball Association, in partnership with the City of Nelson, has completed a two-year capital upgrade project at the Lions Park baseball diamond. The project consisted of new spectator bleachers, additional protective fencing, a new water station, new trees and landscaping.
The bleachers were purchased in 2018 by Nelson Baseball using funds from an anonymous corporate donation. The city provided an in-kind contribution by building concrete slabs, installing the bleachers and re-seeding grass around the bleachers.
In late winter 2019, the city removed the old, dying trees along Falls Street, which provided the opportunity for Nelson Baseball to install protective fencing this spring. Following the tree removal project, the city planted new trees and re-seeded the grass.
A backstop canopy was installed this fall by Nelson Baseball to mitigate foul balls landing in the roadway, on parked vehicles, and on properties adjacent to the baseball diamond. This work was made possible by a grant from the Columbia Basin Trust community initiatives program.
The city installed a new water station next to the first-base dugout in the fall to replace the decades-old water fountain off Delbruck Street. The new station offers both traditional drinking water capabilities as well as the ability to fill reusable water bottles.
With the completion of the capital upgrade project at Lions Park, Nelson Baseball and the City of Nelson are pleased to offer a comfortable and safe environment for kids to play baseball and spectators to watch.