A fire and closure of ball diamonds at Legion Memorial Park has been criticized as being a case of either the city making a mountain out of a molehill or swift action to correct an unfortunate decision. Reality probably lies somewhere in between.
The diamonds were closed a week ago Friday after an incident that saw a maintenance crew pour diesel on several bases and the pitcher’s mound and light them on fire in an attempt to dry them out after recent rains. The smoky air eventually caught the attention of the St. Albert Fire Department, and the city’s office of environment, which began an investigation into the spilled fuel.
The diamonds were closed while the city conducted tests of the affected soil for signs of contamination. The closure appeared to threaten the balance of local baseball games, including two provincial tournaments scheduled in August. But after meetings between the city and St. Albert Minor Baseball Association, most of the diamonds have been reopened. The midget diamond will likely open this weekend, but not before three to six inches of clay are removed to clean up the contamination. The mosquito diamond could be out of commission even longer given the amount of contamination found.
The incident is unfortunate on several levels, starting with the decision to use diesel and flames to dry out the field. Once upon a time that might have been an acceptable practice, but times and environmental practices have obviously changed — and for the better. It should go without saying that pouring fuel on a public park where children play is far from a best practice for ball diamond maintenance, but this incident proves some need it spelled out. The action was compounded by the diamond’s location in the Sturgeon River Valley, in close proximity to trees along the Red Willow Trail. While it might appear that only small amounts of diesel were used and the risk of river contamination or the fire spreading was minimal, even a remote chance is not worth the risk.
Emergency crews and the city should be commended for their quick response. The office of environment did its due diligence by testing the soil to gauge the scope of contamination, the first step in ensuring there is no risk to players. However, it is unfortunate that it took days to fix a problem that, given the amount of fuel used, appears like it could have been fixed with a few hand shovels and a wheelbarrow in a few hours. The extra layer of bureaucracy is one of the trade-offs of enhanced environmental standards. It can be frustrating, but really everyone’s best interests are taken into account.
The city and minor baseball both should be commended for working together to ensure kids don’t pay the price for someone else’s error in judgment. The spirit of co-operation needs to continue to ensure similar mishaps do not happen again, and if it does that all parties are on the same team.
