Ball players in Fort Liard will soon have a safer diamond for games and practices due to a $20,000 grant the hamlet received to update its infrastructure.
Hamlet recreation manager Holly Fantasque said the current fence surrounding the field isn’t tall enough to stop hungry bison from jumping onto it to graze, often damaging the fence in the process.
Bison also tend to create ruts in the diamond and leave behind dung, creating a hazard to players, Fantasque said.
“It’s just unsanitary to be in the baseball field,” she said.
Fantasque said the new, taller fence could be installed as soon as September, once she receives an updated quote from a supplier in Alberta.
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Usually, there are enough players in Fort Liard to have two slo-pitch teams play each other, Fantasque said.
The grant was awarded by the Healthy Horizons Foundation, the charitable arm of the North West Company.
Greg Wilson, manager of the Northern Store in Fort Liard, said the baseball field has “seen better days.”
“It’s definitely in need of an upgrade or a refurbishing,” said Wilson. “My understanding is that the last time it was done was approximately 20 years ago.”
He said the hamlet initially approached him about the possibility of applying for the grant.
“Through conversations with myself, head office and the hamlet, they were designated as a good fit for the program,” said Wilson.
