New Wenatchee School District Softball Field Booked Through Winter
The Wenatchee School District's (WSD) new softball complex is up and running.
The new facility debuted last week when the Wenatchee Panthers girls' slow-pitch team played a double-header against AC Davis High School of Yakima.
WSD superintendent Kory Kalahar says it was exciting to finally see the new field being used, but there's still more work to be done before it will be completely finished.
"The field's done. It's ready and it's amazing! However, there's still a lot of activity that's happening there. We've got cement work and painting left to do, and we're still finishing the locker rooms and the scoreboard. So we won't be doing our grand opening of the field until fast-pitch (softball) starts in the spring. We want to get everything cleaned up and finished up and remove all the safety hazards before that happens so it's good for everyone."
The Panthers slow-pitch team will play another game against AC Davis at the new complex this afternoon and could host more Big Nine Playoff games in the days ahead.
Kalahar says the facility should also be seeing plenty of use in the months before its official ribbon cutting happens next year.
"We have the (NCW) Sun Devils softball clubs ready to use the field as much as they can in the offseason. They actually have it blocked out basically from the time that slow-pitch ends to the time that fast-pitch begins. They're obviously hoping for less snow this winter so they can play year-round. The fact that the field is one-hundred-percent turf and the snow melts a little bit sooner on the surface than it does on the grassy areas means they'll be able to utilize our facilities more than they have in the past."
The $4.1 million complex was originally scheduled to open in August but ran into delays due to unexpected discoveries at the build site during construction, as well as supply chain delays with the facility's bleachers, scoreboard, and other parts.
The original plans for the complex also included adjacent fields for soccer and football which were scrapped due to cost constraints, but Kalahar says those visions could still be realized over the next few years.
The new softball field is being funded with money from the District's general fund and its construction follows a Title IX complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights which alleged inferior facilities for girls' softball when compared to boys' baseball.
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