Heather Wright/The Independent

Petrolia will spend over $146,000 to replace dugouts and bring the Bridgeview Park diamond back up to snuff.

In May 2023, one person was injured after one of the cement block dugouts at Greenwood Park’s secondary diamonds collapsed. The former parks and recreation director said the collapse was caused by vandalism, but the claim was denied by the town’s politicians. A second dugout was taken down at the diamond after a visual inspection showed some of the blocks were loose and posed a risk.
The dugouts were replaced for about $42,000.

Now, Julie Bulloch, director of parks, recreation and facilities in Petrolia says six dugouts one at Greenwood, and those at Kerr and Bridgeview Park, will be replaced this fall.

Bulloch says the aim is to improve some of the parks at the same time. “Bridgeview Park diamond backstop requires complete fence replacement,” she writes in a report to council. “Kerr Park dugouts require a larger footprint to accommodate Blacktop Baseball, our adaptive baseball program.”

Bulloch adds if Kerr Park dugouts are replaced the town will have to buy a shed to replace the storage which will be eliminated with the work.

And she noted that the estimate of $146,000 from two local companies doing the work don’t include tearing down the concrete dugouts at the parks. “Town staff will do the work to prep the locations as required,” she said.

With the replacement of dugouts at the three ball diamonds, the town will only need to replace the concrete dugouts which remain at the town’s main ball diamond, Morrison Field.