Newcastle Baseball Diamond #2 will be closed for use by the public to allow for upcoming berm construction this spring, according to an announcement made by the Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Office (DRFMO) on Wednesday, March 22.
The closure, which will be effective April 1, and DRFMO has notified local baseball associations of the impact this will have on the season.
“We understand this is not the news everyone has been hoping for, but in the interest of safety, we ask everyone to stay away from Newcastle (Ball Diamond) #2 while work proceeds,” the notice states.
It is hoped construction will wrap up by June 24. Games, tournaments, and camping in the area will be prohibited until at least this time.
“Bookings in Newcastle #2 will be made on a case-by-case basis after June 24,” the notice says.
Contractors for the project, Pidherney’s, have planned to return for a two-week period in August if work cannot be completed by June 24.
Acting Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Infrastructure Services director Dave Brett tells the Mail the Town met with user groups in February to discuss the potential closure of the Newcastle #2 ball diamond.
“The temporary closure (of Newcastle #2) will allow for significant, long term flood protection,” Mr. Brett adds.
He says the Town had kept the diamond open last year for tournaments, but there were some incidents and safety concerns having children around heavy machinery and it was decided, for the safety of the public, to close the diamond.
Mr. Brett shares the Town plans to assess the Rosedale Baseball Diamonds to determine any work needed to allow user groups to utilize the facility; however, this cannot be completed until the snow has melted. He is hopeful this can be done by the end of April.
Once assessments are done, the Town will complete any maintenance necessary and will continue to maintain the facility throughout the closure.
Both Newcastle #1 and Newcastle #3 ball diamonds will remain open throughout the duration of the closure.

A big win on home ice has propelled the Dragons to a 2-1 lead in their second-round series versus the Blackfalds Bulldogs.
The Dragons were heading into Tuesday night’s Game 3 in their series versus the Blackfalds Bulldogs, in good shape coming home with a split.
The Dragons came out breathing fire and Ty Daneault scored just 1:11 into the game unassisted on the power play. Kai Matthew followed it up just minutes later to lead 2-0 after one.
The Bulldogs tied it up less than seven minutes into the second period before Daneault scored his second of the game. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs tied it up to end the second.
The Dragons had some great chances in the third period. At the midway point, the Bulldogs were dealt a too many men on the ice penalty, and Dylan Glinski scored the powerplay winner. Ty Whitford added an empty netter to win 5-3.
This came after a successful trip to Blackfalds. The Dragons’ series versus the Bulldogs commenced on Friday, March 24 at the Eagle Builders Centre.
The Dragons came out with momentum and after the first period were up 2-0 with goals from Dylan Glinski and Cyle Clayton. The scoring didn’t stop and through the second period, the Bulldogs and the Dragons traded goals, with scoring for the Dragons coming from Tate Yule, Vann Yuhas, and two from Ty Daneault.
Through this, the Dragons remained in control leading 6-3 after two periods. In the third period, Ethan Casper scored 2:02 into the period. The Bulldogs added two, but Glinski added his second of the game to give the Dragons an 8-5 win. Garrett Fuller stopped 37 shots.
On Saturday, March 25, the Eagle Builder Centre was at capacity again for game two. The Bulldogs led by one after the first period, but Vann Yuhas tied it up in the second. Adam Raesler put the Dragons up 3:34 into the third, but Blackfalds tied it back up. Jacob Goudreau put the Dragons up again, but the Bulldogs tied it up with less than four minutes left to force overtime. Blackfalds capitalized on a powerplay 7:54 into extra time to take the win.
Game 4 is this Wednesday, March 29 at the Drumheller Memorial Arena.

Photo courtesy HCphoto / Rob Raincock