Interview with Josh Francis, President of BAYBA (Blackhawk Area Youth Baseball Association)
If you’ve been to Veterans Park recently, you may have noticed some new stadium lights looking over Wright Fields. They stand tall and shine brightly enough to illuminate the whole grassy arena. With these in place, Wright Fields is ready to host a sports game whether or not the Sun is shining. Several years ago, however, these new lights were only wishful thinking.
For some time, board members of the Blackhawk Area Youth Baseball Association, (BAYBA), shared a vision. They wanted to give Chippewa Township something that would benefit the whole community for multiple generations. Larger projects had seemed unrealistic at first; “out of reach,”according to the BAYBA President Josh Francis, but things began to look more hopeful in 2018.
“[We] started looking at our numbers and what different routes we could go,” Francis explained, “We talked about doing one large project.” As discussions continued and different options were considered, their vision finally began to take form. Wright Fields was getting new lights!
Unfortunately, financing such a project was still something of an obstacle, and original quotes were in the six figures. “The BAYBA fundraised a lot and came up with some ideas,” The annual Night at the Races and Wing Bash events, raffle tickets, and various other efforts all contributed to the project fund.
The Township was also supportive throughout the process, and Francis couldn’t “say enough about [their] willingness and enthusiasm…” Even if the Township did not make direct donations, they gave permission where it was necessary and alleviated burdens to the project where they could. When the BAYBA requested permission to use wooden poles instead of metal, the Township readily agreed.
The wooden poles would cost less than metal, but costed even less – nothing, actually – when they were they freely donated by Koppers Inc. The BAYBA had connected with Koppers through The Pittsburgh Pirate Charities, which also awarded them a $10,000 grant. “[The] Pittsburgh Charities went above and beyond,” Francis told us.
From start to finish, local businesses and other volunteers and have been vital to making new lights a reality. Bryan Wright from W.D. Wright Contracting helped move the poles from Pittsburgh to Wrights Field, and mounted the brackets as well. Once all the supplies were in place, John Wilson from Fiber and Cable Specialists was there to assist with their installation. Additionally, Tech Electric donated labor for all the electric work.
With so many people offering their skills, equipment, time, and money, the pieces were falling into place. The new lights are ready to shine on Wright Fields. Francis emphasized the importance of each volunteer, saying, “Without any of these people, this project wouldn’t have happened.”
All things considered, the new lights on Wright Fields illuminate much more than a grassy arena. They show us a story about our community. They show our neighbors near and far coming together in service. Even on the darkest days, brilliant lights in Veterans Park will prove the people in and around Chippewa Township really, truly care.
