Baseball Field Coming Back to Highland Drive?

If you build it, they will come.  

But don’t expect Shoeless Joe Jackson to come wandering out of left field at the abandoned baseball field at Highland Drive Elementary School.  

That’s the spot where city and school officials are considering a resurrection of a baseball diamond that’s been closed and overgrown for about 15 years.  

The school board has given the thumbs-up on a measure that would allow the city to lease the land and maintain the baseball field. The city — as well as the school district — would use it for baseball games.  

Mayor Jerry Hruby said “it’s not official yet” as city officials are still drafting a lease.

He said the city will propose a lease that would grant access to the schools during the week; and the city’s use during the nights, weekends and summer.  

 The city would also maintain the property.  

 “It’ll save us a lot of money rather than build a new one,” Hruby said.    

“It’s a win-win joint venture for everybody,” he added. “We need a new field. It’s flat, all we have to do is clean the foliage off and get it to dirt again and smooth it out, and we’ll have a baseball field.”