Bidwell Field is in need of repairs and the city is being asked to help finance the project.

Portage mayor Ken Jahn said Tuesday the city's Tourism Committee is reviewing a request for $5,000 to help pay for Bidwell Field upgrades that are estimated to cost $21,500.

An original estimate put the total at $27,000, Portage baseball volunteer Mike Hurd said. But the infield was re-sodded in September, which cost $6,500 according to Hurd, leaving the estimated cost for remaining improvements at $21,500. Portage athletic director Jim Langkamp said the infield re-sodding was paid for through the Warrior fund, private donations and other fund-raisers.

Bidwell Field is used by Portage High School baseball, as well as Portage's Senior American Legion, Junior American Legion and Babe Ruth teams.

Remaining improvements would include leveling the infield and outfield, adding warning tracks to the outfield and behind home plate, adding a drainage system and re-digging and leveling the area near home plate. Those improvements would be made in the late summer or fall of 2010.

According to Langkamp and Hurd, field improvements are necessary to improve safety while adding potential tourism revenue to the area.

"It was to the point where it was fairly dangerous in terms of infielders - the bad hops and things like that - we didn't want a kid to take a bad hop and knock some teeth out or break a nose," Langkamp said.

The infield is not level, according to Hurd, who said there is a 14-inch difference in height from first base to third base. He said the only work done to the field since it was built was cosmetic maintenance like watering and adding dirt.

Jahn said the tourism committee has between $180,000 and $190,000 worth of requests and historically has an income of approximately $120,000. Jahn said 100 percent of the tourism committee's income is raised through the city lodging tax and the committee does allocate funds for projects like this.

"Our goal is to spend our money directly on tourism-related - we look at it as a heads in beds type situation," Jahn said. "If we spend money, our goal is to get the money to come in to promote people staying in more hotels."

And that's what Hurd says the upgrade will do.

Hurd said Portage recently has been denied requests to host American Legion tournaments because the organization felt Bidwell Field was in too poor of shape. Portage athletic director Jim Langkamp said over the past few years he hasn't applied to host WIAA sectional tournaments in Portage because he knew the field's quality was sub-par for hosting such events.

Hurd says the hope is to raise funds for the upgrades through private donations in addition to whatever, if any, assistance is offered from the city.

"If we can't come up with that kind of money, the Lord will take care of us another way," said Hurd, who added those interested in aiding the project can contact him. "...We'll get it done somehow or another."

kmorales@capitalnewspapers.com

745-3512