For about 50 softball enthusiasts, Saturday morning at Jeanne-Mance park was spent doing what they love.
But it’s hard to ignore the patch of grass where they are playing – the remnants of a softball diamond that was razed earlier this summer.
At the time, a ballistics report found the field wasn’t up to code, and considered “dangerous” for passerby or people lingering at the park’s extremities.
The report also said the field lacks proper fencing or meshing, and the backstop is too short.
“It gutted us,” said Marisa Berry-Mendez, who spearheaded the “Save the North Field” Campaign. “I think it’s been very hard.”
In 2017, the north field closed because of maintenance work on nearby tennis courts. On the word of Plateau Mayor Luc Ferrandez, softball players were expecting their beloved space to re-open for use.
But it never did.
“With lightning speed at the end of May, they took it away,” Berry explained. “They decided it was dangerous – which was news to us – and five days later, it was gone.
Berry says a petition to save the field has amassed more than 1600 signatures.
In a statement, the City of Montreal said that consultations on Jeanne Mance park will be conducted in the fall.
In the meantime, the city has offered other fields for the players to use. But even though they can use the adjacent south field to play games, many say merging onto one diamond simply doesn’t work.
“The south field is not a solution. We can’t simply be displaced to it because it’s already full,” Berry added.
The north field stood for over 50 years – and in the words of Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis, “it has history.”
For decades, Dave Smith played ball on the north field – he says the field was emblematic of “the soul of Montreal.”
“I’d like the city to know why is my grandchild not going to be able to play ball here,” Smith. His own children grew up on the field, but future generations may not have that opportunity, he says.
