Partly cloudy and windy this evening. Cloudy with diminishing winds late. Low 21F. W winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..
Tonight
Partly cloudy and windy this evening. Cloudy with diminishing winds late. Low 21F. W winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
...GALE WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING...
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO
MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT...
* WHAT...For the Gale Warning, west southwest winds to 35 kt and
significant waves to 6 ft. For the Small Craft Advisory, west
winds to 30 kt and significant waves to 4 ft expected.
* WHERE...Winthrop Harbor to Calumet Harbor IL, and Calumet
Harbor IL to Gary IN.
* WHEN...For the Gale Warning, until 9 PM CST this evening. For
the Small Craft Advisory, from 9 PM this evening to midnight
CST tonight.
* IMPACTS...Strong winds will cause hazardous waves which could
capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Mariners should alter plans to avoid these hazardous conditions.
Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the
vessel for severe conditions.
&&
Weather Alert
...GALE WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING...
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO
MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT...
* WHAT...For the Gale Warning, west southwest winds to 35 kt and
significant waves to 6 ft. For the Small Craft Advisory, west
winds to 30 kt and significant waves to 4 ft expected.
* WHERE...Winthrop Harbor to Calumet Harbor IL, and Calumet
Harbor IL to Gary IN.
* WHEN...For the Gale Warning, until 9 PM CST this evening. For
the Small Craft Advisory, from 9 PM this evening to midnight
CST tonight.
* IMPACTS...Strong winds will cause hazardous waves which could
capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Mariners should alter plans to avoid these hazardous conditions.
Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the
vessel for severe conditions.
&&
This spring and summer, the usual adult softball leagues at the Bourbonnais Township Park District’s Diamond Point Park will not take place after the cancellations of the men’s, church and co-ed leagues.
This spring and summer, the usual adult softball leagues at the Bourbonnais Township Park District’s Diamond Point Park will not take place after the cancellations of the men’s, church and co-ed leagues.
BOURBONNAIS — Bourbonnais Township Park District commissioners approved a one-year contract with the current company that leases the baseball fields at Diamond Point Complex.
Under terms on the new agreement, the cost of leasing the ball fields for this Bourbonnais business increased by nearly 43%.
The new contract with Ballpark Sports Baseball Inc. of Bourbonnais runs from April 1 to August 1, 2023. Herb Forkenbrock, of Bourbonnais, owns the business.
BTPD Executive Director Ed Piatt said Forkenbrock will pay the district $5,000 per week to use the facility for baseball tournaments. In the previous contract, Forkenbrock paid $3,500 per week.
Piatt said the deal also includes allowing Forkenbrock to host tournaments between Aug. 2 to October 31, 2023, for $5,000 per week.
Piatt said the $5,000 will help pay for the lights and maintenance of the fields.
“The taxpayers are getting their money’s worth with this deal,” Piatt said.
The previous three-year deal between the park district and Forkenbrock expired earlier this month.
Forkenbrock was paying $40,000 annually, plus a fee for the number of games played during each tournament, district officials said.
Park district officials said they needed to at least break even on the new deal.
Earlier this year, park district officials said the facility is losing $250,000 annually for maintaining the facility and paying the utilities.
They are also paying off a $2.8 million bond the district used to purchase the 60-acre facility.
Officials are proposing to replace the dirt infields with turf at a cost of $1 million.
Doing so will lower maintenance costs as well as eliminate games being rained out. In the past three years, 20 percent of games were canceled due to rainouts.
They have contacted officials at the Kankakee County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Kankakee County and the villages of Bourbonnais and Bradley to help with funding.
Park district officials have recommended KCCVB pay $500,000, Kankakee County pay $250,000 and Bradley and Bourbonnais each $125,000.
Bradley officials are the only ones to have approved the $125,000 recommendation.
An engineering firm is working on the actual cost it will take to install turf on all six fields. That is costing the park district approximately $6,000, Piatt said.
According to park district officials, the complex is an economic generator for the county, bringing in an estimated $7 million annually.
Piatt said they estimate 3,000 attend the weekly tournaments with each person spending an average of between $75 to $100 for lodging, meals and other items.
A tourism economic multiplier shows for every dollar spent, it will turnover four to seven times.
Jeff Bonty is a reporter for The Daily Journal. He can be reached at jbonty@daily-journal.com and 815-937-3366.
Jeff Bonty has worked for The Daily Journal since September 1986, starting in the sports department before moving to news reporting in 2002. He's a native of Indiana and graduate of Purdue University. His email is jbonty@daily-journal.com.
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