Major Improvements Coming To Pickering Field In Newtown Borough

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, PA — Several major improvements are coming to Pickering Field during the fall and winter months.

The borough council on Tuesday gave its blessing to plans by the Council Rock Newtown Athletic Association for the installation of a new scoreboard at the field located at the intersection of Jefferson Street, Lincoln Avenue, and Chancellor Street.

The $20,000 project will be paid for by Steele's Gulf Auto Repair, which has sponsored the field for more than a decade.

“The existing scoreboard is rusted, nonfunctional and has no aesthetic value,”George McCafferty of CRNAA told council. “The only change is we’re going with a navy blue color. We are sizing to the current standards of the company with minimal footprint increase. All the footings will remain the same. It’s literally going to be a four-inch footprint change.”

In recognition of the donation, the new scoreboard will include the wording, “Welcome to Historic Pickering Field Proudly Sponsored by Steele's Gulf Auto Repair.”

McCafferty noted that historically the sponsorship line has been on the sign. It’s just been unreadable, he said.

The new scoreboard, he added, will only be used during games. “The lighting is not intrusive. It’s modern and sleek," he said. "It will be used for Babe Ruth, Legion and vintage baseball games. Other than that it will be powered off,” said McCafferty. “It will be clean, fresh and will look pretty good.”

In conjunction with the scoreboard project, McCafferty told council he has received approval for $16,000, which will pay for turf and in field dirt “that will literally clean up the field.”

The baseball organization has a five year field usage agreement with the borough.