n case the idea of installing turf was not on the minds of city officials and councilmembers, several baseball- and softball-minded individuals showed up at Monday’s Great Bend City Council meeting to encourage the placement of turf on ballfields.
Mike Minton, president of the Great Bend Bombers Baseball organization, presented before the Council on the advantages of placing turf on the baseball and softball fields at the Great Bend Sports Complex. Minton outlined the amount of visitors the Sports Complex brings into the city each spring and summer with youth tournaments and turning that traffic into dollars spent in the community.
When the Complex opened in 2012, there were no plans to place turf on the fields, but Minton stressed the importance of staying ahead of the game. Minton has been in Great Bend for over 25 years and came to town originally as a teacher and coach. He noted once great city facilities are no longer in great shape, and does not want to see that happen to the Complex. The City has been considering the turf option and recently transferred $1.3 million into a fund in the 2019 budget for such improvements if the Council approves the project. Great Bend Mayor Joe Andrasek noted the City is discussing with other parties to get confirmation on their financial aid to the project.
(Read more: Great Bend Post)