By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative
City of Martensville councillors voted during their September 1 council meeting to re-allocate $35,000 to fund improvements and complete a topographic survey at the Mocon and Chrome Dome ball diamonds that will identify the specific areas at both locations that need attention in order to address drainage concerns.
As noted in a report from Director of Recreation and Planning Roxane Melnyk, the significant rainfall over the past two years has resulted in many of the city’s ball diamonds being unplayable for lengthy periods of time. To that end, administration is exploring some options for work in the fall of 2026 to mitigate this issue in 2027.
Melnyk noted administration had met with the Sask Five Giants Baseball Association in August to discuss solutions. The conclusion reached was that the city could supply materials and hire a contractor to assist in levelling low areas within the infields, which would work as a short-term solution.
“This approach will not fully address fields that require significant reconstruction, including the removal of existing infield material, regrading, and installation of new material,” she wrote. “However, it will provide a useful interim improvement and give the city a start on longer-term upgrades planned for future years.”
Additionally, a topographic survey will be conducted to gain a better understanding of the long-term solutions needed at the Mocon and Chrome Dome ball diamonds, especially when paired with the Storm Water Master Plan.
As for where the $35,000 will come from, Melnyk wrote that $85,000 had been allocated in the Capital Budget for facility upgrades to the RCMP building. While administration is still obtaining some pricing on electrical work and improvements to the west wall, some preliminary estimates pegged those improvements at around $50,000, freeing up the remainder for the ball diamond project.
Mayor Kent Muench noted at the September 1 meeting that he had also met recently with representatives of Sask Five and Twin City Angels, where he acknowledged the city was having to deal with this problem year after year after year.
“I’d like to make it past this Groundhog Day situation that we are in,” he said.
Muench admitted that Martensville hasn’t done the best job at maintenance on the diamonds, which is a point of frustration for local baseball groups.
“We’ve been doing it kind of halfway, and I don’t think that’s how this works”, he said. “What people are expecting is not what we’re delivering.”
However, he also pointed out local baseball associations have a degree of ownership over local facilities, and not all of the problems with Martensville’s ball diamonds can be laid at the city’s feet alone.
Ultimately, Muench expressed some concern about spending money on a topographical survey and not doing “the other things we need to do.”
However, Melnyk pointed out that without the survey, no contractor will give an accurate estimate about how much work is needed.
“By getting that topographic survey, it’s then setting us up for what we can do…for 2027,” she said.
Councillor Darren MacDonald said the ideal solution would be to go in, dig up the infields at both ball diamonds and then put in drainage to solve this problem once and for all.
“But that’s hundreds of thousands of dollars to do that to all of the diamonds,” he said.