(6/5) More ball fields are on the horizon for Thurmont after the Town Council approved a bid for East End Park baseball/softball field.
The town Little League site development plan was prioritized by the council based on recommendations from the planning commission and through discussion from town youth and adult ball leagues, according to Chief Administrative Officer James Humerick.
"There just aren’t enough fields to go around," he said, noting many Thurmont teams currently play home games in other municipalities or counties.
The town submitted for grant funding from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for the Local Parks and Playground Infrastructure projects.
The project’s original cost, estimated a year and a half ago, was $262,000 but bids were discovered to be significantly higher than anticipated.
Original bids came in close to $600,000 and the scope of the work and the initial project were changed to reduce costs, Humerick said.
Project updates removed a parking lot and driveway with the consideration town staff may be able to perform it in house.
Updates to the project also removed an asphalt trail that circled the field, and on the new scope, the trail just acts as an access point, Humerick said.
Revisions also took out some plantings above and beyond the requirements of Frederick County Forest Resource Ordinance.
Despite being able to reduce the project’s cost by about $150,000, the town was still about $178,275 over the budgeted amount based on the grant funding.
Humerick said continuing to eliminate aspects of the project was non-negotiable to still make it a viable project that meets community needs and town expectations.
Chief Financial Officer Linda Joyce and Humerick both agreed at previous meetings it made sense to utilize American Rescue Plan Act funding (ARPA) for the shortfall.
Project allocation will be LPPI funding of $262,000 and ARPA funding of $178,275 for a total project cost of $440,275.
Greenridge Contractors Incorporated, of Williamsport Maryland, was approved for the base bid amount of $440,275.
Although the town has not worked with Greenridge before, their reference checks were all very positive, Humerick said.
The council provided unanimous support of the project.
Completion is anticipated for September in which there will be a "nice state of the art field that Thurmont has never had before," Humerick said.
Noting the field can potentially open the property for more projects, "I think this is a great start to get us on our way," Mayor John Kinnard said.
