ZANESVILLE – A donation will greatly improve facilities for hundreds of local youth athletes while supporting long-term community recreation.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) No. 1105 in Nashport has donated $450,000 to the Tri-Valley Youth Baseball League and Tri-Valley Youth Softball League for equipment and renovations to Frew Park in Frazeysburg and Kenny Wolford Community Park in Dresden.
“It’s going to be huge for upgrades,” said Ben Kight, president of the youth softball organization. It received $250,000, which will go toward fencing replacements, leveling, edging and drainage improvement, in-field maintenance and realignment, and new lighting and signage.
The fencing will start in mid-June, Kight said. The leveling and edging will take place in the fall once the season is over. Kight hopes to have some of the new lighting installed in the fall as well.
“(It’s) investing in the kids’ futures,” Kight noted. “It’s not just the coaches that they see day in and day out. We have businesses like the IBEW that have voluntarily supported them… Giving them a place to enjoy the sport and make some friendships.”
The baseball league received a $200,000 donation, which will replace fencing on the park’s third and fourth fields, purchase a $35,000 in-field groomer, and replace the batting cages and the eight dugouts.
“The money is going to be put to good use for all the kids,” said Jeremy Davis, vice president of the baseball league. The upgrades should improve the safety and playability of the complex, he noted.
The field groomer is ordered, Davis added. In late June, the fencing will start. The batting cages and dugouts are still in the design phase, he added.
“It’s kind of a springboard to keep going forward and get the park fully upgraded,” Davis said.
The leagues have around 330 young baseball players between the ages of 4 and 13,more than 150 seventh- and eighth-grade softball players and numerous regional tournaments over the summer.
“Our idea was to be able to do major renovations at those facilities that will be more than just a one-year thing. It’ll take care of things for a long, long time,” said Bill Hamilton, business manager of IBEW 1105.
“A labor organization is very community centered. A big part of what a union does is elevate the people, and it’s not just for the members and the people that work under the collective bargaining agreement, it’s the entire community,” he added. “With the explosion of work in our area, with primarily AI-driven data center work, we’ve been blessed with a lot of work, a lot of growth, and we’ve decided that we want to be able to give back.”
More information can be found on the Tri-Valley Youth Baseball League and Tri-Valley Youth League Softball websites. Membership or general information can be found on the IBEW’s website.
Shawn Digity is a reporter for the Zanesville Times Recorder. He can be emailed at sdigity@gannett.com or found on X at @ShawnDigityZTR.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Big league upgrade: IBEW donates $450K for youth field improvements
Reporting by Shawn Digity, Zanesville Times Recorder / Zanesville Times Recorder
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
