By Paul Rhodes

A group of interested parents and contractors is ready to tackle a big project involving the baseball diamond at the Clearwater Sports Complex.

The group wants to volunteer its services to expand the ball diamond at the sports complex to create a regulation-size baseball field.

“We want to do this at no cost to the community,” said Dennis Woods, who represented the group of volunteers as they addressed the Clearwater City Council at its meeting last week. The group was looking for approval from the city to move ahead immediately with the improvement project.

Woods noted that the most cost-effective way to expand the baseball diamond to regulation size is to move the backstop for the diamond back about 15 feet. In the process, the group also wants to make much-needed drainage improvements to the field, as well as upgrading the surface of the diamond’s infield.

“We want to do this the right way,” said Jess Tracy, Clearwater High School’s new baseball coach. “It would send a positive message to our youth.”

Tracy said the high school baseball program has been growing and getting results, with several players receiving scholarships recently to play at the college level. An improved ball diamond would enhance those prospects, he said.

“We’re at the bottom of the barrel on facilities compared to other schools,” Tracy said. “We’ve got the only all dirt infield in our league.”

The plan by the group would add a lot of sod to the field to help with drainage, and also would include dugout and backstop improvements. An old press box behind the current backstop would be demolished, and the volunteers said they have visited about the project with the Clearwater Lions Club, which built the press box.

The main concerns about the project from city officials had to do with funding commitments to make the project happen.

“We need some kind of guarantee on this,” said city council member Jim Whitney. “We don’t want to be sitting here in March with a ball field that’s torn up and we have to pay to fix it.”

City officials asked that one of the project’s contractors take the lead on the improvements and work with the city on a contractual basis. They also asked the group to come up with a cash amount to back up the project, along with a written plan on its funding proposal, which involves selling advertising banners at the ball diamond.

Additional stipulations also were raised by the Clearwater Recreation Commission when it met recently with the group of volunteers. The volunteers were scheduled to have a special meeting with the city council Tuesday evening, and were hoping to get the approval to move ahead with the project immediately.

“We want to have the improvements done by the start of the baseball season next spring,” Tracy said. To accomplish that timeline, the volunteers need to start dirt work immediately and get the sod in by late October or early November.