Baseball team seeks home in Moorcroft

Travis Arney of newly formed independent baseball organization Rage Baseball addressed Moorcroft's council last Wednesday evening regarding moving their team of approximately 25 players aged 15-19 to the upper diamond at Westview Park.

Arney explained that, due to a number of irreconcilable issues with Campbell County, their independent organization wants to relocate.

"We would like to opportunity to have a home. Right now, we don't. We would like to call Moorcroft home," he said.

The field has lain idle for several years and is currently unfit for competition, but Aeney has assured the council that there will be no start up cost to the town to rehabilitate the diamond.

"We'd like to have the opportunity to work with the town of Moorcroft and bring our organization over here and help rejuvenate that field – redoing fences, redoing grass," he said.

"I have some sponsors who are willing to donate a scoreboard and fencing and dirt-work and lighting and on and on."

Arney said he had walked the upper diamond the previous evening and saw potential in the undersized space: "We would like to convert that field into a multi field. For your junior program, 12-15 year olds, the bases and infield are a little short so [we] can...put the anchors down at the base lines, cover them up with plugs and dirt over the top of them so when your senior kids, 15-19, are playing, a 20-minute job to walk in, pull plugs, put plugs in other places, put the bags down, move the dirt just a little bit and you're ready to rock and roll."

Councilman Dale Petersen voiced his thoughts on the matter, saying, "I'm intrigued by this; I just want to make sure that if we decide to do that, we do it the right way."

The incoming team would bring with them their own insurance, allaying one concern, and Arney addressed another shared by Public Works Director Cory Allison and Councilman Bob Stewart: "What if our Little League puts together a bigger team, are you going to be able to schedule them in to use that field?"

The Rage representative adamantly stated the affirmative.

He also talked about a possible boon for the town, saying, "How many more people [are those games] bringing in – for food, hotels? That helps not only the kids' enjoyment, but also brings revenue into town."

Councilwoman Heidi Humple asked, "Would you be willing to get a proposal together and shoot everything you've covered over in an email? I agree with Dale, we need to have a contract written up."

Town Attorney Pat Carpenter explained to the council that the next step will be the formal proposal and subsequent limited lease agreement, covering all aforementioned concerns.

Mayor Ben Glenn expressed his desire to see an actual timeline for beginning this endeavor, saying, "I was hoping to get a timeline so we could make an informed decision."

Arney assured him, "If I can get an approval tonight, we'll be here next weekend to start working on it." He opined that they would like to have it open and ready by the beginning of next year's season.

The council will be negotiating other aspects, such as concessions and utilities, at a workshop Wednesday, April 27, at 6 p.m., to be assembled and given to Carpenter before the lease is prepared and presented at next month's meeting of the council.