By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
If you build it, they will come. A rebuild works just as well. This week city of Great Bend crews have been busy with upgrades to Al Burns Field in Veteran's Park. The updates mark the first major renovations to the field since the mid-1970s.
"Right now we are trying to upgrade the entire facilities out there," said Scott Keeler, the city's director of public lands. "We've had the grandstands repainted, we've put new dugouts in, and a new backstop with a cement wall and netting that we just installed (Wednesday). It's just been time to make some upgrades to the facility out there because there hasn't been much done in several years."
New light poles were installed around the ball fields and tennis courts in Nov. 2020. New turf was recently installed at Al Burns, and the latest round of improvements include repainted grandstands at three of the fields at Vets. A cement and netted backstop was added at Al Burns to provide a better viewing experience for spectators, and larger, cement dugouts will benefit players.
Al Burns is the subject of this year's renovations, but the city plans to continue with improvements to other fields in the future.
"We're also repainting both the grandstands on the north and south fields out there," Keeler said. "Over the next couple of years, we're going to be making upgrades to them, too."
Keeler said the city hopes to have Al Burns Field back to working condition for Saturday's scheduled Bat Cats games against Mulvane. More rain in the forecast may derail those plans.
