Funds raised to install turf at Dover City Park ball field

DOVER — Thanks to the generosity of members of the community, the city of Dover will be able to install turf on the high school baseball field at Dover City Park.

Parks director Scott Jerles told city council last week that site work will be done this year, and the turf should be laid in time for the first baseball game on March 26.

The city had set aside $125,000 in a sinking fund to pay for the project with hopes of getting a grant to cover the rest of the cost, which is about $330,000. 

"If not that money was going to be used for renovating the existing field which needed significant work," said Auditor Nicole Stoldt. "The large grant we applied for was not granted so we felt the project might come to a halt. A few months later we received two grants and it started the fire again."

A group of community members that later expanded to a group of baseball dads started fundraising. They were able to raise about $133,000 from 29 donors in under three weeks. 

"So with the money we had appropriated, the two grants and the donations the project is back on," Stoldt said. "The support of this community is astounding."