Diamonds in the rough: Lincoln dad says city baseball fields need some work

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A Lincoln father is raising concerns about the conditions of the city’s baseball fields.

“I’m not asking for a $1o million baseball complex by any means,” Korey Reiman said. “It’s just basic upgrades so that meaningful baseball games can be played with our kids.”

Reiman, a father of two, said the infield dirt at Jensen and at Standing Bear parks can be dangerous. 

“This infield is rock hard,” he said. “And they threw gravel over top of it, I guess because it’s a lot cheaper than the agri-lime.”

Reiman said he will be at the City Council meeting next Monday voicing his concerns.

He said there are hundreds of teams of all ages wanting to use the fields in Lincoln. 

The city recognizes there is high demand for the ballfields.

JJ Yost, the assistant director of the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department, said it can be tricky to keep all of them in the best condition this time of the year.  

“The conditions of our fields fluctuate based off of the season and the weather conditions and the uses,” Yost said. “We believe we do the best we can with the resources available to keep them in good shape.”

The city places each field in different categories, based on the amenities. 

Some parks in the lower category, like Jensen Park, don’t even have restrooms. Others, like Standing Bear, do have portable toilets.  

But Reiman said restrooms and bleachers are not what worry him the most.

He pointed to the lack of a fence around the outfield at Jensen and Standing Bear.

“You hit a ball to the outfield out here, you don’t know which way it’s going to bounce because it’s going to either hit a grass clump or dirt.”