Mar. 29—Editor's note: This story and accompanying photo are advertorial content in the 2025 "Moving the Forward" special section of The Jamestown Sun.
JAMESTOWN — Moving Jamestown forward hasn't always been a fast process.
Just ask JAYBAL President Matt Perkins.
In April 2022, the Jamestown Parks and Recreation District applied for grants for facility renovations through the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department. The North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department approved Jamestown's grant request of $911,100 to update the Al Boelke baseball park.
"Those fields down there haven't been updated in decades," Perkins said. "We wanted to bring things into the modern world as far as amenities and accessibility go. Whether it's sidewalks or bathrooms or concessions or turf fields — all those things are what people have come to expect of baseball and softball facilities."
In the past three years, the Jamestown Parks and Recreation District has raised more than $4 million to update and renovate the Al Boelke fields.
"We want people to come to Jamestown," Perkins said. "We want people to be excited about coming to play here and having competition here. Part of that is having facilities that get people excited to come play here."
Weather permitting, the first phase of the three-phase project is expected to be completed by July.
"We're looking forward to getting this project wrapped up and completed so we as a community can enjoy it and use it to its fullest capabilities," Perkins said.
The first phase features two fields, both with turf infield, Gould Field, Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken fields, a parking lot, and a concessions and restrooms building with a paved patio area.
Perkins said the remaining construction includes the installation of scoreboards, planting of the sod in the outfields and the pouring of concrete by the concessions building. As of March 11, construction crews are back on site.
Perkins said he hopes the renovation project inspires other athletics programs or groups in town.
"People have a hard time seeing it in the conceptional phase but when it's in front of their faces and they are watching games and seeing what Jamestown can offer, it's like, man, let's do this," Perkins said. "Our hope would be to kind of inspire kids and the next generation to continue to want these improvements and not be satisfied with the status quot but to continually improve and upgrade as time goes on."
Perkins and the Parks and Recreation District are still actively fundraising for the second and third phases of the project. Anyone interested in donating to the project should contact Perkins or Jamestown Parks and Recreation District Executive Director Amy Walters.
"The hope would be that the kids would utilize these to the fullest capacity and do everything in their power to keep them going and to keep our community moving forward," Perkins said. "We're not going to quit until we get to the finish line. We're excited to get up there this summer and start playing on it. I can't wait for that day to happen."
