A baseball and softball sports complex in Salina is getting a new name. Salina City Commissioners on Monday unanimously approved renaming the East Crawford Recreation Area to the Berkley Family Recreation Area.
The Berkley family donated $650,000 toward renovation of the complex.
The renovation, funded by donors like the Berkleys and without the help of taxes, will cost around $1.8 million. Kansas Wesleyan and USD 305 also contributed.
Half the cost will go toward artificial turf. The estimated life of the turf was 10 to 12 years, with replacement cost between 50 and 60 percent of the initial $975,000 investment.
Other areas of the project include:
- Netting
- Bullpens
- Batting Cages
- Backstop
- Protection For Dugouts
- New Restrooms
- Patio
In addition to projects at the fields and Dean Evans Stadium, artificial turf will be added at both softball diamonds at Salina South High School. Those fields will be shared by both South and Salina Central as well as Kansas Wesleyan and possibly Sacred Heart High School.
The Berkley family was also a major donor to the Salina Field House project and have a court at that facility also named for them. A Berkley family member has historically been in a leadership position at Bennington State Bank.
