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Contract signed to install lighting at home of the Braves
Feb 6, 2008
Author: Paul Gately

Cape Cod - The contract to provide lights at Doran Park has been signed, sealed and delivered. Work on eight 80-foot poles is underway, and they will be delivered to Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School in three weeks.

An Austin, Texas, company submitted a proposal to install lighting at the home ballfield of the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Bourne Braves and the UCT Rams and it has been accepted.

Techline Sports Lighting’s proposal includes ,500 worth of installation at the new field that opened for play and to wide baseball acclaim and was dedicated last summer.

Braves Vice President Don Provost of Bourne said fundraising is underway to secure another ,000 toward the 4,000 project to be undertaken by two Techline subcontractors, BaySide Electric of Hyannis and Robert B. Our Co.

Techline offers new design with extended lighting levels in the entire foul-ball area and bullpens. The light poles are being painted powder black to match the frame for backstop netting.

“The field without question will have the best sports lighting system in this league,” noted Mark Reynolds of Techline in a letter to Provost. “It will have the highest average light levels of any field in the Cape Cod League.”

Lights will be installed on galvanized steel poles — four in the outfield; the other four along the base paths and behind the plate.

The project includes installation of all breaker panels, contactors, switching and controls at the field where finishing touches are still being applied.

The Techline lighting plan is a UCT proposal that has gone to the Bourne Planning Board, pending courtesy review when the construction project is formally submitted. Board chairman Chris Farrell said the original park plan did not include lights.

“We think this is good for the ballpark and the Braves,” Farrell said. “It will allow for night games plus playoffs and some night games for the Upper Cape Tech team. It might also attract the Cape League All-Star Game.”

Farrell said military operations at neighboring Otis Air National Guard Base and Camp Edwards were notified of the planned lights to make sure there would be no interference with helicopter flight training and Town Planner Coreen V. Moore is also looking at the proposal.

Provost said Techline is a “wonderful company. The work is underway on the hardware. We will have lights this season,” he said last week.

The Braves will play Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. Tuesday night games will be avoided so as to not interfere with the summertime classic car shows at UCT.

UCT Superintendent Director Kevin Farr said he eagerly anticipates the lights and is pleased the Rams baseball will be able to play under them.

He said lighting is the costliest aspect of field construction, which involved the Cape League, the Braves, the UCT community and students, the town of Bourne and all kinds of volunteer contractors, including masons. The field, at 390 feet to dead center, is considered state of the art by college coaches and minor-league scouts alike.

For details about the Braves or to contribute to the lighting, visit the team Web site at bournebraves.org or call team director Jenabeth Ferguson at 508-759-5574.

Article appeared in the Bourne Courier