Wenatchee School District Experiencing Delays With New Softball Complex
The words "play ball" will not be heard at the site of the new Wenatchee School District (WSD) softball complex for at least another month.
The District originally planned on cutting the ribbon at its new multi-million-dollar facility in August but has had to delay the opening due to numerous construction setbacks.
WSD Superintendent Kory Kalahar says one of the delays was caused by the discovery of old infrastructure underneath the build site.
"Toward the beginning of July, they found that there was a water main that was running through the middle of the complex. That required them to build a giant filtration vault that's about the size of a swimming pool. It's so water and snow can drain off the field and not impact play over time. The vault can drain fifty-seven-hundred gallons of water in an hour."
Kalahar says there have also been delays in receiving several critical parts for the new facility.
"We're also waiting for electrical vaults to be built. Those should be here by September twenty-seventh. Then on October third, the scoreboard will finally be delivered. Then we have to wait until the third week in October before we get the bleachers, and without the bleachers you can't get to the press box. And without access to the press box, we can't announce anything so we won't be ready to host games yet."
Crews with Halme Construction broke ground on the $4.1 million facility in late April.
Once finished, Kalahar says the new complex will be Eastern Washington's most state-of-the-art for hosting softball games and tournaments, since it will be the only one to feature an all-field turf playing surface.