Ballpark to get makeover

CELINA - Grand Lake Mariners officials are embarked on a campaign to raise funds to upgrade facilities at Montgomery Field, most notably with viewing suites above a new visitors team dugout.

"A lot of people already think that Celina has a wonderful facility out there compared to a lot of the high schools around and to step it up like this would just be over the top," said Mariners general manager and Celina High School baseball coach John Dorner. "You talk about building excitement …. I think it will really make a big difference."

Dorner and Carl Huber, Mariners' vice president and secretary, recently laid out their plans to city council members. No cost estimate was provided.

"They're not asking for money," mayor Jeff Hazel said. "But it also means longterm maintenance and replacement."

Dorner said the organization is raising funds to pursue a three-phase project centered on razing and rebuilding the visitors team dugout along the third base line with a two-level structure.

The Celina High School baseball team and Wright State University-Lake Campus Lakers share the field at Eastview Park in the spring, and the Grand Lake Mariners and Celina ACME team call it home in the summer. The field is heavily used in the spring and summer, officials said.

"Whether it's a high school team, ACME team, Wright State, Mariners, it's just tiny," Dorner said. "We don't have very much storage out there."

Once officials decided to rebuild the dugout, the project snowballed, he said.

Phase 1, to be undertaken this winter, involves renovations and upgrades to the dugout/press box building along the first base line. Plans call for adding lockers and a merchandise stand on the east end of the building and converting part of the press box into a coaches office.

"That long room is never completely full so we thought we could go on the far end and build in an interior wall and actually make a coaches office up there - and still have four windows available for media, for visiting teams, for score board operator, music, PA," Dorner said.

They're also considering installing a cooling system for the building, as the temperature in the concessions area, when coolers, ice machines and other equipment are running, can reach over 100 degrees.

The second phase would see the razing and construction of the visitors team dugout/suites at the end of summer, according to Dornner. The proposed structure would be similar in size to the building along the first base line.

It would feature stairs at either side and a second floor consisting of three viewing suites to be rented out or reserved for sponsors. There would also be two bathrooms, one in the dugout and another designated for umpires, as well as storage area with garage door for equipment to be easily moved on and off the field.

"We think it would make Celina have something that really nobody else around here has, and we think it would bring in tournaments," Dorner mused. "We think it would bring in people into our community, hopefully help restaurants and things like that."

The final phase would entail a new scoreboard and digital message board near the entrance of Eastview Park.

"We think these improvements would be very good for the programs that we've mentioned. We also run summer baseball camps, things like that," Dorner said. "I think there'd be a lot of use by all ages in Celina."

Councilors appeared to be supportive of the initiative, with some enthusing over the details provided by Dorner and Huber.

"This would truly be a feather in Celina's cap when we look at a field like that," Hazel said.

Montgomery Field and its facilities have been revamped in recent years following a tornado that barreled through the grounds on Nov. 5, 2017. The improvements were paid for with a combination of insurance reimbursements, donations and city funds.

The nonprofit Celina Baseball Association spearheaded a fundraiser to replace the concession stand, press box and Marineers dugout and add a second batting cage, together dubbed The CAPT Baseball Complex in recognition of CAPT's $20,000 donation toward the project.

A total of 37 1,500-watt metal halide lamps were put in place as well as handicapped-accessible bleachers, the later with a $25,392 donation from the Montgomery Field Fund of the Mercer County Civic Foundation.

In 2017, the field's aging synthetic infield playing surface was replaced and an outfield irrigation system was installed, together costing nearly $200,0000.

Bill Montgomery, his family and business together donated $250,000 to install the synthetic playing field at Eastview Park in 2007.