By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The Bowling Green Board of Public Utilities took another swing Monday at plans to upgrade the lighting at ballfields in Carter Park.
In April of 2022, the utilities board voted unanimously to update the lighting on the fields – with an estimated price tag of $700,000.
The board authorized engineering services for the design of upgraded lighting at the baseball fields. The city selected Kleinfelder as the design consultant on the project and a plan was developed to split the project into two contracts. The first contract would purchase the materials from a lighting manufacturer and the second would hire a contractor to install the materials.
On Monday evening, BG Public Utilities Director Brian O’Connell recommended the board approve a resolution for the construction of the lighting project which will include the materials and installation contracts. O’Connell will also ask City Council to consider giving the ordinance three readings and an emergency clause at its next meeting in order to maintain the project schedule.
The ballgames at Carter Park bring hundreds of thousands of people to Bowling Green each baseball season – which results in more income for businesses, O’Connell said.
“When you go out there on a tournament weekend, it’s packed,” he said.
But tournaments demand better lighting than provided by the nearly 40-year fixtures at Carter Park, O’Connell said.
“They are trying to stay competitive with other tournament areas,” he said.
The southern baseball fields at Carter Park are owned by the city, however, all of the activities associated with youth baseball leagues, practices, games, and tournaments are organized by Bowling Green Youth Baseball.
The league is a non-profit organization operated by a volunteer board. The collaboration between the city and BGYB (formerly known as the Bowling Green Pee Wee League) goes back many years. Records show that prior to 1985 the city had been providing free utility service to the league facility then located on Mercer Road.
Then in 1985, an agreement was entered between the city and league to provide recreational activities under a lease agreement in Carter Park. As part of this agreement, the city had certain obligations such as extending utilities to the site and the league raised funds to help pay for the baseball field improvements.
The city electric division donated and installed the poles that are currently used to light the baseball fields. The city also ran power to the field lights and installed the lights on the poles. All of the electricity for the field lights has been gratis since they were installed.
BGYB President Tim Dunn contacted O’Connell in 2021 and requested assistance from the city to upgrade the baseball field lighting with new poles and LED lights. The lighting at the facility is unchanged from the 1980s when it was originally installed by the city.
Dunn noted that other baseball facilities in the area have better lighting, and competition to attract traveling baseball teams for tournaments is increasing. Travel teams have more options to select tournaments being held at other facilities with better amenities and better lighting.
Additionally, sports field lighting design standards have changed over the years to provide a more uniform and higher quality of light over the entire playing field.
From an economic development perspective, the baseball tournaments hosted by the league bring many visitors to Bowling Green each year. These visitors require services from local businesses such as hotels, restaurants and gas stations.
All of these businesses use more electric, water and wastewater services during these events – which help the city’s utilities sales revenue, O’Connell said. Also, the tournaments generate revenue for the league to continue to invest in the baseball facilities at Carter Park and keep the program running.
The lighting upgrades would likely include the removal of the existing lighting poles, installation of new 90-foot tall steel poles, and LED sports field lights that would provide optimal lighting of the field area as well as the surrounding walking and spectator areas.
The LED lights would potentially use 50% less energy than the existing lighting fixtures and they would last longer and require less maintenance for the league. The project could also add lights to the Tee-ball area, which would allow for those games to be played after dark, O’Connell said.
