YORKTON — The Yorkton Crush Girls’ Softball program wants to see much-needed upgrades proceed for the York Lake Ball Diamonds.
Darcy Zaharia, a parent of one of the Crush’s athletes, said the amenities at the diamonds are much the same as when they were first built. He’s unsure when that was, but remembers playing there in the late 1980s.
“The clubhouse there is exactly the same and pretty run down,” Zaharia said in an interview with Yorkton This Week and SaskToday. “The washrooms don’t work. There’s four diamonds and they do some work on them each year, but they definitely need an upgrade.”
While much of the fencing is still in decent condition, Zaharia said repairs are needed. He believes the dugouts predate his own playing days at York Lake.
“The plan would be to work on all of those things. We want to get, whether it’s red shale or crushed rock, put out on the infield of the diamonds, and fix up the fences,” he said.
The washrooms, now replaced by port-a-potties, need to be restored to working order, and Zaharia said the clubhouse would be gutted.
“We didn’t want to do any of the upgrades until a lease was in place, and now we have a 10-year lease, so it’s time to get it done up so all of these kids can enjoy a nice facility,” he said.
Two of the diamonds have lighting that also needs upgrading, though Zaharia said cost will determine its priority. A total cost for all the upgrades is not yet known.
The Crush’s athletes, who play in several age divisions, lease the property from the York Lake Regional Park Authority. Slow-pitch also uses the facility, keeping the diamonds busy.
“The Crush has probably grown to close to 200 girls registered each year, up from 80 three or four years ago. So, it’s really growing and really popular,” Zaharia said.
Fundraising has yet to begin. Zaharia said an earlier effort fizzled, but the group is again gathering quotes, including one for the clubhouse, to determine what’s needed.
Once the upgrades are complete, the Crush hopes to host more tournaments and events. Zaharia’s goal is to have work finished next spring before the 2026 season.
