Ballfield blues in Sharbot Lake

Jeff Green | Jul 05, 2012

Photo: the facilities at Sharbot Lake's Oliver Scott Park.

Parents of Sharbot Lake-based teams in the Central Frontenac Softball Association are embarrassed when travelling teams come to their field because of the lack of facilities. There is no running water and no canteen. The only facility of any description are two lonely outhouses sitting out next to the right field corner.

“Teams travel here from as far away as Gananoque, and when they get here they want to wash up, to use the bathroom, and we have nothing for them,” said Midget coach Marcie Asselstine. “All we can do is send them up to the highway to the Petrocan. They don’t want to come, and it’s not good for our team, knowing that wherever we go there are flush toilets, food available, etc.”

The outhouses that are on site have recently been painted and cleaned, said Asselstine, so they are useable, “but nobody wants to use them,” she added.

Karen McGregor, whose daughter plays on the Sharbot Lake team, echoed Marcie Asselstine’s comments.

“We’ve worked to bring ball back to Sharbot Lake, but it is disheartening to have to be the only team that can’t really host a game, even though our field is fine.”

The ball field is owned and managed by the Township of Central Frontenac, which also owns fields in Parham, Arden and Mountain Grove.

The field has had a canteen in the past, but the building and equipment have been the subject of vandalism in the recent past, and is now boarded up. There are no plans for the township to put in flush toilets and a septic system on the site, which is adjacent to Sharbot Lake High School.