Georgetown Slo-Pitch $50K donation to fund these diamond improvements

By: Christian Collington, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TheIFP.ca

 

For Jamie Chouinard, president of the Georgetown Slo-Pitch League (GSPL), a recent $50,000 donation to the Town of Halton Hills is a continuation of support for community reinvestment.

 

Chouinard said the league has grown from its 16-team origins in 1990 to a local powerhouse that has now raised nearly $700,000 for local baseball infrastructure used by baseball, fast-pitch and slo-pitch programs.

 

While Chouinard currently leads the non-profit organization, he credits much of the league’s impact to its longtime treasurer Pete Wanner, as under Wanner’s guidance, the GSPL has long mandated that a portion of every team’s entry fee be set aside for capital expenditures.

 

“Pete has really founded the league, and the commitment always was to grow not only softball, but baseball in town,” Chouinard said.

 

He also noted the league’s history of giving includes helping secure a $150,000 Trillium Foundation grant for the construction of new baseball diamonds in 2018, as well as a $60,000 donation last year toward a new multi-purpose facility at Trafalgar Sports Park.

 

Chouinard explained the latest $50,000 contribution, announced during the Feb. 17 council meeting, is targeted at improving the “game-day experience” for all players, not just those in the GSPL.

 

He said several specific upgrades include:

 

  Shading at Trafalgar Sports Park Installing protection from the sun for players during evening games, particularly around 7 p.m.

 

  Gellert Community Park improvements Adding covers to existing dugouts.

 

  Diamond maintenance General repairs at smaller locations and a specific “fix-up” for the Hornby Park diamonds.

 

  Increasing capacity Upgrading diamonds to accommodate more players, as the town currently has more ball players than available fields.

 

Chouinard noted the demand for baseball in Halton Hills is surging, fuelled in part by the success of the Toronto Blue Jays.

 

He added while the league saw a dip during the pandemic, it has rebounded to 55 teams, with its mixed division currently standing as the fastest-growing segment.

 

To foster this growth, the league recently lowered the minimum age to 16 for the division so that parents can play alongside their teenage children.

 

“The last thing we ever want to do is turn a team down,” Chouinard said. “We just become a little more creative.”

 

He also emphasized that the heart of the league is the relationships built on the dirt that extend out to the community.

 

“It’s a true outlet; it’s camaraderie,” he said. “I think the ball brings us together. It really is long-term relationships that have been built.”