Damaged light standard found at Bailey Park
Four 90-foot light standards at the larger ball field at Bailey Park in Uniontown have been relocated, but an error discovered at one of the two standards that were not moved could cause a slight delay in the park renovation project.
A small, hairline crack near the base of the standard and loose bolts that connect the standard to its concrete foundation were discovered while a contractor was working on the lights last week, said Uniontown Redevelopment Authority executive director Mark Yauger.
The standard began to sway as the contractor was replacing the lights, Yauger said.
After concrete that the original contractor poured around the bases was removed, the crack of a “couple inches” long and loose bolts were revealed, he said.
Replacing the lights turned out to be a blessing in disguise, Yauger said, because the crack and loose bolts could have caused the heavy steel standard to fall.
“I’m glad they found it. You don’t want to take any chances with those poles,” Yauger said. “We have no idea why those bolts loosened up.”
The nuts that hold the base down measure 3 inches in diameter, he said.
The work to fix the lights on the standard stopped after the crack and loose bolts were found. The tentative repair plan, which city engineer McMillen Engineering is reviewing, involves lifting the damaged standard, cutting away the cracked steel and welding in a new piece of metal.
Four standards were relocated and the lights on five standards were fixed before the problems were found with the sixth standard, Yauger said.
The next steps in the first phase of the park project that the city wants to complete this year are moving the bleachers, removing the existing fencing and backstop and installing a new fence and backstop around an larger field.
The standards, bleachers and fencing are being moved to enlarge the field to meet WPIAL requirements. The distance between home plate and the center field fence is supposed to be 375 feet and distance to the right and left field corners is supposed to be 325 feet when the work is done.
Yauger said concrete pads have to be poured at the new location for the bleachers and the new fencing can’t be installed until the bleachers have been moved.
The contractor working on the standards and lights, Miller Company Electrical Contractors of Uniontown, is being paid $46,000, $200 for each ballast that has to be replaced and $150 for every new light bulb. The number of ballasts and bulbs that have to be replaced is not yet known.
All Around Fence Co. of Uniontown is being paid $38,212 to replace the fencing and backstop.
The authority and city are using Community Development Block Grant money, money leftover from a state grant to renovate Coal Lick Run Park and contributions from Pirates Charities, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ philanthropic organization, the Uniontown Rotary Club and other donors, Yauger said.