howeenterprise.com
Monday, February 18, 2019
Page #7
New look for old field
Ferguson Field on Hughes Street is getting some much needed attention. Howe Youth Baseball has been raising money to improve the oldest youth baseball park in Howe. The Ferguson family owned and operated Ferguson Seed Farms for many years on South Hughes Street and after closing the operation, they donated the land to the City of Howe with the stipulation that it must be used for a park and that it be named Ferguson Park. Back in 1971, then-baseball commissioner Ray Bledsoe initiated a desire to turn the property into a youth baseball field since the program had grown and kids had nowhere to play. Bledsoe dug and placed most of the posts himself and the park officially opened July 15, 1971. In 1984 a chainlink fence was added to the outfield which replaced the original cable wire and post fence (similar to Memorial Park). Around the turn of the century, steel posts were placed around the perimeter of the playing field and an improved chainlink backstop was placed.
However, those improvements finally needed to be improved and the City of Howe spent $12,000 to upgrade the backstop to a modern concrete and netting system. Howe Youth Baseball has raised an additional $10,000 to upgrade the concessions building and the dugouts.
project. Two large signs will be placed on the ends of the home third base dugout. One will give information about the history of the park and the other will be a tribute to Howe's Garrett Fulenchek who contributed to the park and was drafted in the second round of the Major League Baseball draft in 2014. The remodel is to be completed in mid-March. (Photos to the right are the Ferguson Seed Farms logo and the new Ferguson Park ID sign. Both signs will be placed on the fence).
Sponsors that have donated to the improvements are Baker A/C & Heating, inc., Micah Belden Attorney, Woodmen Life, RG Services, North Texas Waste Collection, Todd Corbin, David Englutt, Key to Sweetness, Campat Machine Tool, Inc., Robertson Welding Svc., HHS Class of 1971, Garrett Fulenchek, HGP Trucking, Victory Light Photography, and Bob Utter Ford. A green windscreen has been placed around the outfield fence along with yellow polycap at the top of the fence. Signs will be hung on the outfield fence for the sponsors who helped with the
A new concrete and netting backstop was a $12,000 investment from the city.
CHANGE
