Consultant proposes new Central Mountain baseball field near high school complex

BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP, PA – A State College consultant is suggesting that a new baseball field for Central Mountain High School be constructed on district property off Keystone Central Drive, just over a quarter mile from the high school complex in Bald Eagle Township.

The proposed site, now a grassy area surrounded by woodland, had been cleared a handful of years ago when fill was removed and used in the most recent expansion at First Quality Tissue in Castanea Township.

The baseball field recommendation is part of a field use analysis carried out for the Keystone Central School District by ELA Sport of State College. That report is to be heard at the district school board work session scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the board meeting room at the administration office complex.

If approved by the school board, the new field would replace the varsity baseball team’s present home site, Mill Hall Community Park. The ELA recommendation carries a price tag of just over $3 million and would include construction of a new field, sports lighting, access drive improvements, spectator parking and lockers/restrooms/press box, the latter at field level.

The baseball recommendation is part of an ELA inventory of existing fields at Central Mountain High School, the Central Mountain Middle School and Bucktail High School. The report contains “suggested improvements” for facilities at each of the schools. The State College firm notes the cost for improvements at all three sites is “opinion…based solely upon his or her own experience.”

The Central Mountain baseball team was unable to host a PIAA playoff game at the Mill Hall field on Monday of this week as it did not meet PIAA specifications to do so. The game was instead played at Watkins Field, the Lock Haven University baseball field in Woodward Township.