State grant lights a Little League field

Baseball can be hard enough. Now imagine trying to hit a ball in the dark.

Senator James Skoufis announced funding for new lights at Howard Drive Park in the Town of Wallkill recently, making the John Ward Field the second field at the park to have the ability to light up after sundown. The development comes from a $200,000 grant obtained through the senator’s office.

“When I was growing up in [the Town of Woodbury] I was a little leaguer for well over a decade, and the games were during the day,” Skoufis said. “We were fortunate to have lights on our field. We had evening ball games. Little league and youth sports are instrumental, they are critical to our children here in all of our communities. Certainly, they build skills, teamwork and work ethic.”

Skoufis, who represents the 42nd district in the New York State Senate, emphasized that recreational activities like participating in the Little League help to increase public safety. When they have a lot of spare time on their hands, children are more likely to get themselves in trouble, the senator said. School sports occupy their time and bring their communities together.

George Serrano, the Town of Wallkill Supervisor who is involved in the Little League during his free time, said when he took office his goal was to establish lights for a softball field in addition to baseball so that girls could also play under the stars, leading him to approach the senator about funding for the additional lights. He added that he would like to put together a night game for t-ball kids aged 4-6 so that they can also experience a game through the evening and after dark.

“Probably be at most an hour but you start the game about 7, 7:30 and have the t-ball players under the lights,” Serrano said. “I’ve done that before. I’ve seen it. It is a great experience.”

The lights are designed to be directional, lighting up the field itself without polluting any parts of the surrounding residential area. Skoufis said he has not heard complaints from any members of the neighborhood.

Barbara Maxcy, the treasurer of the Little League — which includes over 100 kids — said that while the older kids who have since moved on from the league are disappointed the lights were not installed while they were using the fields, the kids currently in the league are excited and enjoy playing at night.

Highlighting their personal connections to the Little League, both Skoufis and Serrano noted their own histories with baseball.

Serrano mentioned his baseball years in Brooklyn while the senator shared an anecdote about his years participating in the sport, attributing his poor eyesight to his low batting average.

The James J. Shannon Memorial Field — named after one of the founders of the Town of Wallkill Little League — is the only other field at the park with the ability to light up. In July of 2020, the first game was played under the lights on this field and have continued in the years since. The new field yields the name of Ward, a past Town of Wallkill supervisor.

“So now we’ve doubled the baseball and softball capacity here at this complex when it comes to evening hours,” Skoufis said. “More teams during more times will be able to enjoy playing ball. That’s what this is all about. I was delighted to help get this funding and partnership with the town and with the league.”