During the public comment portion of the Helper City Council meeting that was hosted on August 1, a personal request was made in regard to the wooden bleachers at the baseball field.
It was previously announced that these bleachers will be taken down. The resident in question stated that her father was one that helped to build them and she joked that she always had him to thank when she ended up with a splinter from them. She asked the council if there would be any way for her to obtain a section of the wood when it is demolished, as she would like to build a bench in remembrance.
Mayor Lenise Peterman stated that she had worked with an individual previously with a similar request and would be willing to help in this case as well. She assured the resident that, when the demolishment takes place, the city will get ahold of her and let her know.
Following this, the ball fields remained a point of topic. Mayor Peterman explained that USU Eastern had approached Helper City about the Gardner and Heritage fields, wishing to utilize them for the men’s baseball and women’s softball teams. A memorandum had been drafted and presented to the council. Mayor Peterman stated that she had been the point in discussion and was happy to address and discuss concerns.
There has been no play on the fields for two years, as the American Legion is struggling to fill teams. USU Eastern is eager to be a partner and is willing to do service work on the field and bleachers, willing to do work in the community and have a desire to be part of Helper.
This will be a long-term partnership and Mayor Peterman stated that the city would benefit from doing this with the college. A 15-year period is what was proposed by USU Eastern for the agreement, and Councilman David Dornan pointed out that who is on the council currently would likely not still be on the council at the end of that term.
From there, discussion began on how the term would look and if a different span should be proposed. Councilman John Serfustini asked the Helper City Public Works Directors how they felt about the agreement, to which they expressed happiness and said that they wanted to see the fields get used.
Mayor Peterman explained that USU Eastern has a strong desire to play under the lights and are looking to start a fall practice, with actual games being played in the spring season. USU Eastern also wants to offer baseball clinics to Helper children, which would be free.
Councilman Dornan stated that partnerships such as this are invaluable and Helper is the ideal place to watch baseball at night. After discussion, the agreement was accepted for 15 years, with a review after 10 years.