Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor

It was quite an off-season for The Ballpark at Schumacher Field.

In serious need of new siding, the grandstand received a durable concrete fiber board from Lakestate Siding — which is expected to last 50 years — and also sports a fresh, healthy look from a recently completed paint job by Terry Tolzmann.

In addition to the new exterior, Schumacher Field was essentially torn up and redone. Thirty pallets of sod were brought in by A&L Sod, and six truckloads of fill were used, just to improve the condition of the infield. While the playing surface was stripped bare, Peterson Companies Irrigation installed a sprinkler system for the entire ball field.

Last spring, the deteriorating condition of The Ballpark caused Dave Schultz of Dave Schultz Construction, head varsity baseball coach Brian Raabe, and Forest Lake Area Schools Superintendant Lynn Steenblock, to take swift action. Panels were literally falling off the building and the diamond was in surprisingly poor shape.

Behind the efforts of the Forest Lake Baseball Association, Dresel Trucking and the Forest Lake School District, Schultz and the Forest Lake Baseball Dugout Club were able to find a group of business owners who were willing to make donations or volunteer their time and energy.

Both Schultz and Raabe admit this task couldn’t have been accomplished without the support of companies like Kermit Disposal, Regal Machine and Jeff Edelen of American Family Insurance, as well as individuals like Steenblock or Corbett Johnson, who was instrumental in building the grandstand in the early 90s.

“I was pretty proud of all those people,” Schultz said of the various contributors. “That was really neat.”

Steenblock was also impressed with the collaboration that took place at The Ballpark, and he applauded the results.

“The facility looks wonderful,” he said. “It turned out very nice and I think everybody’s a winner.”

Including the $9000 from the school district and a $5000 donation from the Minnesota Twins, the actual dollars put into Schumacher Field totalled $24,000.

When Schultz factors in the unpaid labor and staggering amounts of material, he estimates this to be an $85-90,000 project.

Raabe credits Steenblock for his quick decision to move forward, calling it “very proactive and smart.”

“He saved the district a lot of money,” by handling this now, Raabe added.

After so much hard work and generosity, The Ballpark at Schumacher Field has regained its youthful appearance and is ready to entertain the large crowds, just as it was intended.

“I think it looks beautiful,” Johnson said. “I’m thankful there’s another generation interested in preserving our field and grandstand.”

Top of Page