ESTEVAN - Estevan city council has denied a request from Estevan Minor Baseball (EMB) for loan forgiveness.
Speaking to council at the March 24 meeting, president Mel Murray said that in lieu of the EMB not receiving any financial assistance for 2025 for the their work on the city's baseball diamonds and facilities, the organization was asking the city to consider cancelling the two current loans.
"We are proposing that with the cancelled loans and incoming money from the provincial tournaments that we are hosting this year, we anticipate that we will be able to do the maintenance and upgrades to the city ballparks ourselves," Murray said.
Minor baseball believes it would be a workable solution due to the benefits to the community when it hosts provincial tournaments.
Minor baseball owes $33,000 as of March 17. It is to be paid back by 2031. The EMB received a $15,000 grant in 2023 to cost share a project, and $21,000 last year for shale at Mel Murray Cactus Park and Lynn Prime Park. The organization has paid back $3,000.
Murray said they will be hosting multiple events this year. When asked by Mayor Tony Sernick about the impact of these tournaments, Murray responded there would be 12-15 players, their parents and others for each team.
"When we host tournaments, we try to host double tournaments or triple [tournaments]. Last year we hosted a triple tournament, which is pretty heavy on us."
This year they will have a weekend with two provincial tournaments, another with one competition, and a provincial under-18 showcase.
"We do have quite a few teams coming in this year," said Murray.
Coun. Kirsten Walliser, in making the motion to deny the request, said there was a request for $55,000 in shale at the start of the year that did not fit operationally. Forgiving the loans would be an expense to the taxpayers.
Sernick voted against the motion to deny the request.
