So what’s up with the baseball field at Stuart Cramer? Stuart Cramer High School is a gem in the Gaston County School system…except for the baseball field. We are hearing that the facility hasn’t been used in years due to a water problem. We got this message from a concerned taxpayer ” A natural spring continues to keep left field and third base a wet mess. The retaining wall is failing, and the restroom and concession stand building have shifted.”
We spoke to a parent of a former player whose child played the last four years, who had this to say “Never played a home game there at all. Played at Sim’s Park the past two years, and at FUSE the prior two years.”.
So evidently this has been an issue for at least four years, and possibly goes back to initial construction in 2013.. This is obviously an expensive facility to continue to go unused, and requires the team to rent other facilities to play ball.
We spoke to Stuart Cramer’s Athletic Director Mike Patton, and he told us that based on the weather and other factors, they hope plan to play at home this season. (Spring sports start February 14). Sims Park in Gastonia remains a backup plan.
Gaston County Schools has spent money trying to correct the situation, with new grading, soil, and replacement of some mechanical systems. Evidently a lawsuit with the civil engineering firm that designed the field was settled in the fall, and remediation of the main retaining wall will hopefully begin in June, or as soon as engineers determine that it is feasible.
