YORKTON - Young baseball and softball players need a better place for off-season training.
And local sport organizations are suggesting adding better flooring to the Agri-pavilion could fill the void.
That was the message Yorkton Council heard at its regular meeting Monday in a presentation from Evan Wasylyniuk with Yorkton Minor Baseball, and Ashley Benko with Yorkton Crush Softball.
Wasylyniuk told Council they were requesting consideration of a 2025 capital investment in updating flooring at the Agri-pavilion, or another city-owned facility, to a multi-sport field. He said such an investment would be asset to both organizations, and their 430 youth players, as well as other sport users such as football and archery.
“For decades we have used private and public facilities, specifically school gymnasiums, the Kinsmen Arena, the Gloria Hayden Community Centre, the Gallagher Centre Flexihall, and the Agri-pavilion for off-season training and early spring training. The challenge is that all of these facilities are not appropriate for baseball and softball training because the flooring, wall covering, and wall colours are not developed for baseball and softball training,” detailed a letter circulated to Council. “For example, the concrete white walls in school/city gymnasiums often create challenges for our athletes to see softballs/baseballs that are thrown/hit, the space is usually too small to safely space our athletes, and the hard flooring leads to unnaturally high bounces.”
Even the Flexihall has limitations.
The white curtain lends to significant difficulties for our athletes to see the ball, said Wasylyniuk.
While a dedicated ‘field house’ would be ideal, Wasylyniuk said they recognize the city has some major expenditures upcoming – pointing to the potential of a new hospital – so flooring is seen as at least a step forward.
Councillor Quinn Haider reminded the Agri-pavilion is used for Yorkton Exhibition Association events that put livestock in the building and questioned how that might work with a new floor.
Wasylyniuk said that is why the two ball organizations would want to work with the Parks and Recreation department to collaborate to explore flooring options and wall covering options for the Agri-pavillion space or other city-owned facility, adding that could be a roll-out turf to facilitate other uses.
Mayor Mitch Hippsley said Council has heard before of the need for indoor sport training space.
“I know we’re going to give this a lot of serious conversation.” he said.
