Work on Lions Field ballpark to begin soon

OTHELLO — Lions Field is getting a facelift.

Work is expected to start this week on replacement of the baseball diamonds, as well as the restrooms, at Lions Field, according to Randy Gomez, the city’s parks and recreation director.

Gomez said the work will involve stripping off the top six inches of topsoil from the baseball fields and then replacing that with a two-inch base of sand, followed by a specially-engineered topsoil designed to allow water to drain and not puddle in the infields.

The infield will also be very gently sloped, allowing for rainfall to run off, Gomez said.

“We need to get this done before the spring when sports start,” Gomez told members of the Othello City Council on Monday.

The work will also include bringing the restrooms at the ballfields and lowering a portion of the countertop at the concession stand to bring them into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), according to Mayor Shawn Logan.

The city has budgeted around $463,000 for the work — 75 percent of which is coming from a state grant — but because the ballfield work has come in under budget, Logan said the city is considering other improvements it can make to Lions Park.

The city’s first youth sports programs are slated to start in April, Gomez told council members, with soccer and flag football starting on April 7, Little League baseball on May 9, and the water park set to open to the public on June 4. Council members also approved a request from the city of Connell to train its lifeguards in Othello this year, with Logan noting that Connell currently does not have a lifeguard trainer at its water park.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected]