Youngsters wanting to get a pick-up game going at the ball field will just have to wait awhile.
Pineville's ballpark is closed indefinitely after many concrete blocks of the sidewall came crashing down. Officials placed yellow caution tape to cordon off the field and the dugout.
Pineville Mayor Gregg Sweeten said he doesn't believe heavy rains played a part in the destruction.
"Our streams were pretty low and the ground was dry. Saturday's rains soaked in fairly quickly," he said. "We've had a slow rain all weekend."
In the past, the ball field has been able to withstand large amounts of rainfall.
"We've had tremendous rains in that ball field," he said. "In December, we had 12 inches in town. After the Joplin tornado in 2011, we had 10 to 11 inches of rain in a very short amount of time."
City officials posted a photo of the destruction on Saturday afternoon on Facebook, with the information that the ballpark was closed.
Several years ago, workers took steps to improve and expand the ball field. The hill interfered with play and officials wanted to expand the ball field. Workers excavated part of the hill, then set numerous 2,200-pound concrete blocks to create a wall, Sweeten said.
Green padding was then placed on the outside of the blocks to protect players.
General News on 01/19/2017