Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
The Falher Baseball Diamonds are officially open for use and have hit a home run after an extensive revitalization project by the Friends of Falher Ball Diamonds Society.
“The official names of the ball diamonds are Pat and Ben for the two main diamonds, in honour of Patrick Gaudet and Ben Gardecki young men who (passed away and) meant a great deal to the community and enjoyed baseball,” says Friends of Falher Ball Diamonds Society vice-chair Lise Côté.
“Naming rights were available for $15,000 per diamond, and this idea originated with Sharon Wolfe to keep the memories of these individuals and their families alive, as they impacted nearly every family in the area through their work at Maternelle and the Falher IDA.”
Côté says the baseball diamonds were long due for revitalization, as there hadn’t been any work done of them for decades and they were slowly becoming unusable.
“They weren’t graded properly or even standard size, leading to poor drainage,” says Côté.
“If it rained, especially during Honey Festival weekend, the fields turned into mud, making them unplayable,” she adds.
“Fencing was damaged in many places, making them unsafe. I don’t have the full historical details, but the infrastructure had deteriorated significantly.”
Côté says the work completed on the diamonds includes removing all the old fencing, hauling in 150 semis of donated dirt, grading the diamonds to ensure proper water drainage, redoing the parking lot, and installing new fencing. The group then seeded grass twice.
“Shale is purchased and still needs to be spread,” she says. “This (all their work) resulted in two regulation-size diamonds and one smaller diamond for kids. The layout followed an approved plan from the Town of Falher’s previous head of public works, which we couldn’t modify.”
Côté says the final expenses have not been tallied, and a lot of their work included donations in-kind that would have pushed their budget significantly higher, had they had to pay for all expenses.
“We committed $30,000 from the Falher Recreation Board last year, and additional funds came from prior savings and fundraisers,” Côté notes, adding they are still fundraising for the final items that need purchasing.
“Our organization felt this was an important and necessary project because if we wait for municipalities to initiate new facilities or upgrades, they often won’t come to fruition due to limited resources.”
Côté explains the Falher Recreation Board has a history of supporting community needs with profits earned from renting and farming a quarter section. These funds earned were previously used to help set up the fitness gym, to support the Smoky River Community Hall, to help fund the outdoor sports courts, and now this year $30,000 was donated for the diamonds in Pat’s and Ben’s names.
“Sharing these profits ensures vital community projects like this one get done,” explains Côté.
“The revitalization will benefit the region by enhancing Honey Festival ball tournaments, as the backstops are now at the same end, allowing spectators to watch both games easily. They are now regulation sized diamonds so the tournament will be more fun and make home runs fairer.
“We also hope the Smoky River Ball Club can host tournaments here, boosting local sports, community events, and tourism.”
Côté says the revitalization project is nearly complete, with only dugouts and bleachers remaining to be completed.
“Georges P. Vanier High School has offered to build the dugouts in their Industrial Arts program, and we’re seeking $24,000 for materials for all four dugouts,” she says.
“The diamonds are open for community use, but we’re still determining if there will be a cost associated with booking or using them,” she adds.
The revitalization project has been in fruition for multiple years, with residents Kelsie Fournier, Jason Bouchard, and Lorraine Desaulniers setting aside money from the Honey Festival Ball Tournament to help fund upgrades. FABuLAS (Falher & Area Beautification & Leisure Activities Society) also held various fundraisers to help build the finances to commence revitalization.
The Friends of Falher Ball Diamonds Society board includes chair Paige Rey, vice-chair Lise Côté, Mila Walliser, Taneille Crooks, Quinn Côté, Chris Key, and Taylor Côté.
Initially, the project was spearheaded by a subcommittee under FABuLAS, but a separate committee was created to run Honey Festival Ball Tournament and oversee the project.
“In fairness, the project was spearheaded by Côté Farms and Ferme Maisonneuve, whose resources, knowledge, and determination were essential to its success,” says Côté.
“Future plans include completing the dugouts and bleachers, as well as selling spots for families to place their names at the diamonds, similar to the bricks at the splash park or arena wall sponsorships. We’re also co-hosting the Christmas gala with the hall to raise funds, and we’re open to donations for the silent auction or hosting staff Christmas parties there.”
In addition to the other finances mentioned, money was also received from M.D. of Smoky River’s Recreation Grant totaling $42,000, Community Facility Enhancement Program Grant worth $15,000, more than 150 loads of dirt from Ron Chailler, and over 100 loads of topsoil from Riley Labrecque.
Various sponsorships were also received from CNRL, Wal-Mart, Bayer, Zac Aubin, anonymous cash donations and over $150,000 of in-kind donations.
If you are interested in helping to fund the remaining expenses of the project, please phone Côté at (780) 837-1709.
