The Centralia City Council voted in April to devote the city’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds — totalling just over $1.4 million — to installing turf on fields at Fort Borst Park.
During the council’s regular meeting Tuesday, councilors voted unanimously to reallocate an additional $250,000 in ARPA funds recently freed up to ensure that Wheeler Field in the park has new lighting in time for baseball season in the spring.
Along with the new lights at the park, the city’s Arbor Day declaration was read by Councilor Max Vogt.
It was announced that, with help from the Borst Arboretum Botanical Society, the city will be hosting a tree planting ceremony at the Borst Park Arboretum, just south of Wheeler Field, on Friday, Nov. 3.
ARPA funds
The $250,000 was initially designated for a broadband grant program, but the city had no applicants for the program by the deadline, so the money was available again and needed to be reallocated before the federal deadline to use ARPA funds, Centralia Deputy City Manager Amy Buckler said.
“We were hoping to get this done before the baseball season next year. Because, without the lights, it does impact a lot of play for the season,” Buckler said.
Councilor Mark Westley, a former teacher for more than 20 years in Centralia, said practice for the high school teams usually begins in February and games start by the second week in March.
“Early in the season, there’s not as much daylight,” Westley said.
The lighting at the field and throughout Fort Borst Park had already been in the process of being replaced. Last August, the city council voted to use some of the $1.4 million for turfing the fields to replace rotten wooden light poles at the park.
Safety was a concern as the rotting poles could fall during the upcoming rainy season with Southwest Washington’s seasonal storms.
Buckler said the turfing project is currently on hold and the $250,000 was needed to ensure they could relight Wheeler Field by the start of the baseball season.
“It would essentially kill it if we had to find the $250,000 elsewhere,” Buckler said of the project.
Wheeler Field had eight wooden light poles with halogen, which Buckler said will be replaced with six 80-foot metal poles featuring brighter and more energy-efficient LED lights, with each pole holding 48 light fixtures.
She said Wheeler Field’s new lights will have an estimated cost of $364,785, of which the remaining total will come from the Twin Cities Sports Commission and the Borst Park Improvement Fund.
During the August meeting, it was also mentioned that one of the poles at Wheeler Field in need of replacement had an osprey nest on top of it. Buckler confirmed the city worked with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to ensure the nest didn’t have any fledglings or nesting birds in it before giving the city approval to remove the rotting pole, which has now been taken down.
Even with the need to replace rotting wooden light poles, Westley still suggested looking back at the original list of projects set to see the city’s ARPA funds.
In a meeting last February, the council allocated $3,117,365 of the city’s remaining $4,551,452 ARPA funds.
About $3.1 million went toward a number of projects, including: a sewer extension for Linda Lane; funding for Westside Connector planning; extending Scheuber Road; purchasing two new patrol vehicles and a police training simulator; funding for water system work at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds; funding for a broadband grant program; and outfitting a new ambulance for the Riverside Fire Authority.
After some brief discussion among the other councilors, they still decided to reallocate the $250,000 broadband grant funds toward replacing lighting at Wheeler Field.
Centralia was initially given just under $5 million in ARPA funds and had just over $4.5 million left after purchasing a sandbagging machine and body cameras for the Centralia Police Department in 2022.
Arbor Day and tree planting at Borst Park
An avid arborist, Vogt thanked Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston for allowing him to read the Arbor Day declaration.
“Trees beautify the city in which we live, work and play, increase property values and enhance the economic vitality of business areas,” Vogt said.
The proclamation ended with Vogt declaring Nov. 3 as Arbor Day in Centralia, and city staff will be observing the holiday with a tree planting ceremony on that Friday.
Buckler said the event will be at 10 a.m. on Nov. 3 at the Borst Park Arboretum, which was established in 1960 and has more than 120 trees of multiple varieties.
“We have ash, spruce, pine, hemlock, dogwood, pear, oak, cherry and so many other species,” Buckler said.
She added they will be planting five new trees during the ceremony, including a black tupelo, serviceberry, Indian plum, linden tree and sugar maple.
The Borst Park Arboretum is located at the southern end of Fort Borst Park by Wheeler Field.
