Cleaning up on the diamond

Published 7:45 am Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Jessica Garrigues, head softball coach for Seaside High School and Seaside Kids Inc. Softball Liaison, hasn’t been in Seaside long but is already making significant strides in improving opportunities for local kids to play softball and baseball at the Wahanna Ballfield, a 4 ½-acre park located on South Wahanna Road owned by the school district.

Seaside Kids Inc. is a nonprofit that provides sports equipment and facilities for Seaside youth. Seaside Kids brought the community together to repair and renovate the Wahanna Ballfield, which is used by the school and others, in April of this year. Garrigues hopes to inspire an annual event.

When Garrigues first arrived in Seaside she was quickly identified by local players and parents as a great softball coach and took the position of head Seaside High School softball coach this year after serving as the assistant coach in 2018. Garrigues holds a master’s degree in education and English for speakers of other languages, and has a passion for instilling a sense of leadership in the kids she mentors and trains. The Wahanna Ballfield cleanup is one way of teaching Seaside youth about the importance of giving back.

Wahanna Ballfield was ranked in a 2018 Seaside parks master pan as one of the lowest quality parks in Seaside, second to only the Mill Ponds. Except for sports and school activities, park visitors are more likely to visit other area parks on a weekly basis.

Garrigues met with local youth and coaches to see what was needed to make the programs shine. After receiving laundry list of repairs Garrigues organized a group of SKI participants, parents and local volunteers to revamp the dugouts, repair the backstops, improve fencing and batting cages, and deep clean the concessions. Over 50 people, mostly players and their parents, helped out on the first day.

“After reflecting with the Seaside Kids Youth Softball Coaches on the season and discussing out biggest “wins” as a program, this event, where softball and baseball came together to make major improvements to the Wahanna fields and facilities, stood out as a gem,” Garrigues said.

While most of the volunteers were current Seaside Kids players and their parents, some of the older players returned to “give back” to the program.

“Some of the older kids who aged out helped, it was neat to see their leadership skills,” Garrigues said.

That leadership is exactly what Seaside Kids is hoping to instill in local kids as their catch phrase implies, “Active Youth Today … Active Leaders Tomorrow!”

Garrigues wants to give a “huge thank you” to all of the business and people who donated materials, equipment, time, resources and energy to the Wahanna Ballfield cleanup including the volunteer players, parents and community members of SKI. She added an extra big thank you for Coastal Restoration, Jason Kraushaar Contracting, Forest Betts Construction, All Rents, Builders First Source, Sherwin Williams, A1 Concrete, Coaster Construction, Brims Farm & Garden, Trails End Recovery, Home Depot, Pacific Paint, Osburn Olson Construction, Ryan Osburn Plumbing, Dave Aho Roofing, Advanced Roofing, Whites Heating and Sheet Metal, Clean Sweep, Ace Hardware, Knife River, Keith Keranen Excavating, Clatsop Concrete and Clatsop Power.

Garrigues hopes to continue with an annual cleanup next April, keep an eye on their website or Facebook page for more information.

“There won’t be as much work next time,” she said with a laugh.