PUSLINCH – As softball continues to make a comeback in the community, Puslinch Minor Ball is looking for additional council support to keep its future seasons running smoothly.
According to Puslinch Minor Ball's director of softball operations Cameron Tuck, the local sports organization will delegate at the next council meeting to request township help improving the small ball diamond on Morriston Meadows and the Old Morriston Ball Diamond, as well as more preferential rental times and improved communication with the township.
"(This request) is about getting our facilities up to snuff," said Tuck, in an interview. "So that when other teams are coming to play, our facilities are up to the standards of where they come from."
While Tuck said Puslinch Minor Ball intends to help finance some of the proposed upgrades like the new storage shed they're requesting be replaced at the Old Morriston Ball Diamond but will need council's help to finance some of the smaller aspects of the upgrades like building a cement pad to support the shed and adding fencing to make the smaller Morriston Meadows baseball diamond useable.
Improving and relocating the Morriston Meadows bleachers, building and installing game shade dugouts and moving the new septic tanks from the middle of the bullpen at the Old Morriston Ball Diamond are also some of their requests.
"I don't think (our proposal) should be super expensive...but I think it's just the question of where does (council) pull that money from," said Tuck. "And that's a tough thing because everybody wants their say and their pound of flesh."
In addition to the financial request, the group is also asking for a "first crack" at ball diamond rentals as one of their biggest issues is finding a diamond to play on when competing with the Guelph sports teams that rent them.
Currently, all three Puslinch diamonds are completely rented out from Monday-Thursday from at least May 24 to Aug. 1, according to Tuck.
Of the over 150 kids that participated in Puslinch Minor Ball last year, almost 80 per cent are from Puslinch. In 2021, approximately 40 kids participated.
"We don't have enough diamond space...trying to make-up games (after weather events) when you don't have enough ball facilities, that's what makes things really tough," said Tuck. "If we grow by another team, we'll find it very difficult if not impossible to have diamond time."
But while Tuck said the group's main goal is to build a working relationship with the township, he did clarify that in the event council shoots the proposal down, he'll be back until "he's blue in the face."
"I never want to hear anyone say Puslinch Minor Ball just asks for things," said Tuck. "Yes we're gonna ask for some financial assistance but we're going to help out as best we can and fundraise some money to put towards the cause as well so it goes towards the community."
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program
