East Butler baseball looking to build new fields
The East Butler Baseball Association is looking for land to build new diamonds on, with hopes the site is a little closer to its audience — people who live east of Butler — compared to its current home of Prospect.
Drew Mooney, president of East Butler Baseball Association, said Friday, July 26, the nonprofit is in talks with municipal leaders in areas including Summit, Oakland and Clearfield townships to find a site with five to seven acres on which to build. The association has been hosting its games and seasons on fields in Prospect since the fall, after the group was locked out of the fields in East Butler by its borough council.
Mooney said the association has not given up on returning to the fields in East Butler, but for now, its members are looking to move on.
“We're pushing forward; we're going to try to purchase ground, get something donated or find a municipality that wants to work with us,” Mooney said. “We're looking for the property first, then we'll figure out funding or what we can afford as our own entity.”
Last summer, the borough and the association could not agree on a contract for the association to use the fields, which are now known collectively as the East Butler Sports Complex.
The association filed a lawsuit against East Butler after the lockout from the fields, now known as the East Butler Sports Complex. The association had used the fields for its seasons since its founding more than 70 years ago, and its members in return helped with maintenance and equipment, according to Mooney.
While members of the association are now providing a similar service to the fields in Prospect, Mooney said the group is looking for a place to play that is more convenient for the majority of its players.
East Butler Baseball Association has a fall ball program for children ages 12 and younger. More than 70 children played baseball with the association in the spring of 2023.
The project is in its early stages — Mooney announced the association’s plans on Friday.
“Our goal is to give the local children a secure place to play baseball,” Mooney said.
