Chippewa Valley elementary schools get repaired baseball diamonds

By Erin McClary
C & G Staff Writer

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — The Chippewa Valley Board of Education agreed to spend a portion of its 2005 building and site funds to have the district’s elementary school baseball diamonds cleaned up and improved.

The motion came June 15 and will cost $111,920. Repairs and additions are scheduled to begin this month and to be completed before school starts in the fall, said Jeff Atkins of Barton Malow, Chippewa Valley’s construction and technology management firm.

The project includes cleaning up the infields at all of the district’s elementary schools, putting in new benches, installing new backstops and rotating existing baseball fields at select schools.

Erie and Mohawk elementary schools will have special attention paid to their backdrops, he continued.

“We have a huge number of young children and families that use our fields on a regular basis,” said Diane Blain, Chippewa Valley’s director of school and community relations. “Parents and community members are excited about these much needed improvements.”

Cleanup and random repairs happen every few years, and bond money is allotted each fiscal period for related and future improvements.

Clinton Valley Elementary has two baseball diamonds that get used on a daily basis by students, gym teachers and members of the community, said Principal Greg Finlayson.

He said Clinton Township Parks and Recreation Little League teams get plenty of practice on the diamonds and good use of the fields.

“It’s one way our school system helps in involvement with community activities,” Finlayson said.

His school’s diamonds will have their infields solidified and new backdrops installed. He said the district has a standard for its playing fields that it tries to maintain and hold onto throughout the years.

“This is one way they can sell these school bonds to the community because it will be given back to the community,” Finlayson added. “We’re really happy to have these improvements to be closer to the community.”

Clinton Valley and the other Chippewa Valley elementary schools don’t offer baseball programs for youngsters, but gym teachers will often take the kids out to learn a few things on the infields.

Also, the district’s elementary schools don’t have regularly scheduled recesses, so when teachers take their students outside to “blow off some steam,” Chippewa Valley wants the diamonds to be safe and in good shape, Finlayson concluded.

You can reach Staff Writer Erin McClary at emcclary@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1118.