Blue Jays Unveil Renovated Baseball Field in Airport Heights

The Toronto Blue Jays Care Foundation in cooperation with the St. John’s Minor Baseball Association and the City of St. John’s marked Baseball Celebration Day with the opening of the newly renovated Airport Heights Baseball Field on Tuesday, July 16.

“This renovated field is a perfect example of how partnerships can be formed to improve the City’s recreation infrastructure,” says Ward 2 Councillor Frank Galgay, Chair of the Parks and Recreation Standing Committee. “We are pleased to have contributed $500,000 towards this $650,000 project and we are extremely grateful for the $125,000 contribution from the Toronto Blue Jays Care Foundation and the $25,000 contribution from the St. John’s Minor Baseball Association which helped make this field upgrade a reality.”

The St. John’s Minor Baseball Association applied to the Toronto Blue Jays Care Foundation – Field of Dreams for funding and was offered $125,000 towards the project which includes the extension of the baseball field to accommodate Bantam aged baseball players and also the installation of new lights which will increase the amount of available playing time.

The ceremony to ‘reopen’ the field took place during the ‘unofficial’ season opening of the St. John’s Minor Baseball Summer Program. The event also coincides with a three-day Toronto Blue Jays Super Camp being held by former Toronto Blue Jays players who are currently on a cross-country tour.

On hand for the unveiling ceremony were:

• Peter Dawe, Jays Care Foundation Board of Directors
• Rob Drynan, Jays Care Foundation Executive Director
• Frank Galgay, Ward 2 Councillor, Chair of the Parks and Recreation Standing Committee
• Robert Morgan, President, St. John’s Minor Baseball Association
• Toronto Blue Jays Alumni (including Roberto Alomar, Sandy Alomar Sr., Devon White, Duane Ward, Homer Bush and Denis Boucher)

“The City of St. John’s is pleased to work with individuals and organizations to support and enhance recreation, leisure and sport opportunities, with a goal to improve the health and quality of life for all residents,” says Councillor Galgay. “This field will serve our youth for years to come thanks to the transformation that has taken place to turn this softball field into a first class Field of Dreams for bantam aged baseball players.”

For further information:
Jennifer Mills
Communications Officer
City of St. John's
Phone: (709) 570-2037
Cell: (709) 690-7586
E-mail: jmills@stjohns.ca

Frank Galgay
Ward 2 Councillor
Chair, Parks and Recreation Standing Committee
City of St. John’s
Phone: (709) 576-8577
E-mail: fgalgay@stjohns.ca