Second pole collapse puts EC in the dark
"The high school might have to play somewhere else for the rest of the season." -Michael Wall
By KRIS BAGLEY sports@leader-news.com

Contributed Photo The Party's Over? The collapse of two light poles in recent weeks has led to an emergency Little League meeting Thursday. If funds cannot be raised to replace the fallen and existing lights, which are in dangerous condition, Little League seasons may be in trouble.

Recent damage to El Campo's Little League park may mean big changes for sports of all ages.

Moderate wind caused a light pole at the Boys American field to fall Saturday. It was the second light pole to fall in less than a month.

The Little League softball field lost a light pole Feb. 19 due to heavy wind. Temporary lights were brought in so El Campo's varsity and junior varsity softball teams could continue to use the field.Michael Wall, president of El Campo's Little League, said shortly after the first pole fell, inspection revealed there was damage to several light poles around the surrounding fields.

"When the pole was examined closely it was discovered that the entire base of the wood poles (were) gone and the pole was essentially hollow for 15 feet above the ground," Wall said in a press release. "The culprit was weather and termites over the last 25 to 30 years. The other poles were inspected and all the wood poles in the parks have some level of damage and many were not expected to last more than another year."

than another year."

Baseball and softball seasons were initially expected to continue as planned, but Saturday's pole collapse called for immediate action.

Both fields were closed for safety reasons and the Little League Board will hold an emergency public meeting at the El Campo Little League office Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Wall encouraged anyone who is interested or able to help fix the park problems to attend.

"The plan is, that we're going to pull all those poles out," Wall said. "The high school might have to play somewhere else for the rest of the season."

Shane Wagner, head coach of El Campo's varsity softball team, said he was not thrilled with the remaining options. It seemed as though he would have to decide whether to play the games at Rotary Park or move the start of all home games earlier in the day due to the lack of lighting.

Wagner said he had yet to meet with Athletic Director Bob Gillis on determining the best option for his team and was still gathering information.

The El Campo Junior Varsity Tournament begins Thursday and the varsity team's next home game is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday.

Earlier in the summer, Wall released a plan to renovate the entire park in three stages. The first stage included relighting five fields for an estimated coast of $600,000.

Added in with the other two stages, which involve new concession stands and rotating two fields, the total estimate is $1,385,000. Wall said he is hoping for grants to help with the renovation costs.

For more information on the upcoming meeting, contact Wall at 618-6339 by e-mail at walnut@npcusa.com.