Allegan council weighs $20,000 field conversion and options to share costs with community

Allegan — The City of Allegan City Council spent significant discussion time on March 10 over potential improvements at the sports complex, including converting one little‑league grass infield into a girls’ softball dirt infield that would be sized for younger female players.

City staff described a quote from Westing Services that initially priced converting all four little‑league infields at $20,000 each, but after on‑site review DPW staff revised the estimate and concluded the cost to do one field properly — including removing about eight inches of soil in a fertile area to prevent grass regrowth — would be roughly $20,000 for a single field. Assistant DPW staff and the DPW director told council they would prefer to do the work correctly to avoid a subpar playing surface.

Council members expressed differing priorities. Mayor Perrigo and others said city resources are limited and noted many youth users are not city residents; Mayor Pro Tem Morgan and other council members said investing in youth facilities matters, and some favored doing one field and asking the community and neighboring townships to share costs. Council discussed possibilities including a three‑way match, donor fundraising similar to past park projects, and volunteer labor for parts of the work. Finance staff reported user‑fee revenue for youth sports last year was $5,585, and several council members suggested the city might match roughly $5,000 if the youth organization and partners contributed additional funds.

Staff did not commit city funds immediately but were asked to explore grant and matching opportunities and return with options. Council did not adopt a formal appropriation at the meeting; instead, members signaled conditional support for pursuing a single‑field conversion contingent on outside contributions and further staff analysis.