Kingston city council decides cricket field fence will stay in place for now

Kingston city council is debating the future of a fence installed at a local baseball diamond for the Little League Canadian Championships this summer. The fence, which surrounds the newly built cricket field, was a central topic at Tuesday night’s meeting.

While some see the fence as unproblematic, Coun. Conny Glenn of Sydenham District argues it’s time to take it down.

“We put up temporary things for events, and we’re used to doing that. So why should this be any different?” Glenn said.

The outfield fence was originally installed for the summer tournament and was scheduled to be removed at the end of the 2024 baseball season due to concerns about preserving the historical integrity of the area and to allow for community use of the field.

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However, new information and community feedback have prompted council to reconsider.

“Council does change its mind from time to time, and I think that’s fair,” Mayor Bryan Paterson said. “When there’s new information, and in this case, an enormous number of people in the community have come forward asking us to reconsider, it would be wrong to turn a blind eye to that.”

Paterson emphasized that the city spent over $1 million to build the field. He views the investment as a lasting asset to the community.

Emma Lambert of Tourism Kingston highlighted that the tournament allowed the city to create a state-of-the-art Little League field, now the newest and best in Canada.

Tori Boshart, president of Kingston Baseball Association, also spoke at the meeting, saying that without the fence, KBA could not host any other provincial or national baseball tournaments. The August National Little League Championships brought in just over $2.3 million in economic impact.

While Glenn acknowledges the value of the field, she expressed concerns about community use and the importance of keeping promises.

“There’s been a lot of faith lost in politics over the years, and I’d hate to see us lose more over an outfield fence,” Glenn said.

Ultimately, council voted 10-3 in favour of keeping the fence until at least next summer, with the issue expected to be revisited before then.