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 Minutes/News: Campbell Girls Fastpitch league needs funding for four new buildings |
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Monday, November 7
Campbell Girls Fastpitch league needs funding for four new buildings
By Stephanie Condon (Campbell Reporter) The Campbell Girls Fastpitch Softball League hopes to upgrade its playing facilities before the start of the new season in February, but it needs $10,000 to see the plan through. The league has drawn up plans to construct four buildings on the Forest Hill Elementary School playing fields that will require the league to fundraise or solicit donations for materials and labor. The organization worked with the Campbell Union School District to create a plan for 22-square-foot cinderblock structures that will replace the current snack shack. The buildings will consist of a new snack shack, restrooms and two buildings for storage. The color and materials used will blend in with the school. "It will improve the use of the fields dramatically," said Jeff Mohn, the Campbell Girls Fastpitch president. "There's no permanent restrooms out there, and the port-a-potties aren't really favored by the girls." Daniel Jordan, co-founder and league trustee, said he estimates that the final cost of the project will range between $12,000 and $15,000. "Since we're a community-based, all-volunteer nonprofit, our biggest thing is getting funds together," he said. Jordan has been working on the project with the school district since August 2003. The facility now used by the softball teams at Forest Hill does not meet any building requirements, according to Dale Thurston, the assistant superintendent of the Campbell Union School District. The new buildings must be approved by the California Division of the state architect, which provides design and construction oversight for K-12 schools and community colleges in California. Thurston said the group would be able to break ground on the project once it is approved by the school board. It will come before the board at its Nov. 27 meeting. He acknowledged that both sides want to move forward with the plans. "We've tried to establish a good working relationship, and there's a lot of trust on both sides," Thurston said. Once the project is approved, landscaping will be added. Thurston said trees would be planted around the fields to create shade for spectators. "We're trying to make it as much of a park setting as possible," he said. The league has $5,000 budgeted for the project. Jordan said the league would try to solicit donations from parents during the registration process and hopes to acquire corporate donations. "R.V. Cloud can help donate some plumbing fixtures," he said. "Cementing companies could help. Home Depot could give electrical fixtures and circuit breakers." In the way of supplies, Jordan said the group could also use temporary storage sheds and dumpsters during the construction. "We finally got the green light, and now it's time to get the money together and get it going," he said. "We're just trying to get something going for our kids to help them develop into good citizens." The fundraising efforts come less than a year after the league raised money to replace equipment reclaimed by Campbell Bobby Sox. The few remaining Bobby Sox members removed items such as refrigerators and pitching machines from the Forest Hill fields in February because, according to Bobby Sox bylaws, any equipment procured by community teams automatically becomes property of the national league. "All that has been replaced," Jordan said. "We got donations before the season started."
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