Sportsplex wiring issue raises concern

With the youth baseball and softball season just a few weeks away, there is some concern about wiring around Field 1 at the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex.

Blytheville Mayor James Sanders said Memphis-based Fisher & Arnold is expected to rework the wiring, which is currently above ground and a potential safety hazard, possibly even an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violation. Some fear a child could be shocked or trip over the wire tubing.

Sanders asked Randy Scott of the Blytheville Baseball/Softball Boosters to speak with engineers about the matter because Scott is more familiar with the situation.

This morning, Scott told the Courier News that the engineer assured him the work would be completed before April 16, the start of the youth baseball season.

Scott said the BBSB had planned to delay the start of the season if the issue wasn't corrected in time.

Sanders noted city electrician Barry Bullock told him the company that laid the lines last year no longer exists.

The matter was brought to the mayor's attention about a month ago, he said.

Last year, the Sportsplex experienced some electrical issues that apparently weren't resolved properly.

"During the time that they were doing the landscaping, some of these areas were cut," Sanders said. "I asked (the electrician) again what he had done before, and he explained that he ran some lines just to make things work."

The city requested the blueprints from Fisher & Arnold, which designed the Sportsplex.

Sanders said he wants "to get it done right" so the city will use Fisher & Arnold to correct the problem.

mbrasfield@blythevillecourier.com