While youngsters in uniform warmed up to play baseball games on Philomath’s two newest ballfields Wednesday evening at Skirvin Park, the Philomath Youth Activities Club led a small crowd that had gathered through a dedication ceremony.
The occasion marked the end of a four-year effort from conception to construction to completion. Originally, the two new fields were going to be used only as practice space.
Gallery: PYAC’s Frolic Fields Dedication (May 29, 2024)
A collection of photos from a Philomath Youth Activities Club dedication ceremony at two new ballfields on Wednesday.
“But then as raffle money became available and more volunteers became available, we realized if we have these resources, why don’t we build it as good as possible, make it as nice as possible,” PYAC Executive Director Eddie Van Vlack said.
The fields were dedicated to the late Ralph Hull and current and longtime volunteer Denny Bennett.
Hull, who founded Hull-Oakes Lumber outside of Monroe, donated to a variety of causes in Philomath and throughout the Willamette Valley and beyond.
“Ralph was the epitome of hard work — working until he was 84 — and service to others,” Van Vlack said about Hull, who died in 2002. “Ralph believed strongly in helping individuals to maximize their potential and he helped them to do this in a plethora of ways.”
Among Hull’s most memorable acts of philanthropy occurred in 1995 when he gave $1.3 million to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, which the hospital dedicated as the Ralph Hull Regional Heart Center.
“The mere fact that we are putting his name on this field would likely make Ralph a little uncomfortable and he would certainly tell us it was completely unnecessary,” Van Vlack said. “But then, when he realized that his great grandson, Nathan Nystrom, gets to watch his great great grandson, Noah, play baseball on it, it would undoubtedly bring a big smile to his face.”
Bennett, 70, was not told in advance of the field dedication in his name. His reaction?
“Oh, this is fantastic, it’s really great,” said Bennett, a humble tone to his demeanor. “Unexpected … This is pretty cool.”
Van Vlack said it wasn’t easy to keep the dedication a secret.
“The board knew we were doing Ralph Hull for the last year and half, two years,” Van Vlack said. “But the board had to have some behind-the-scenes meetings, which is hard because Denny is so dedicated — he’s at every meeting, he’s the board chair, and so how do you facilitate having a conversation and a vote? It was unanimous, it was a no-brainer. … There isn’t anything that he wouldn’t do for the youth in our community.”
Like Hull, Bennett also has made his living in the forest industry.
Said Van Vlack, “You cannot find any aspect of our organization that does not have his handprints all over it.”
PYAC has needed more ballfields for several years and this project saw its share of challenges along the way.
“We had added one field in 29 years and so it’s not something that happens every day,” Van Vlack said. “So to be able to have two fields … and probably our nicest two fields, it’s big, it’s huge. With our numbers continuing to increase, it was much needed for sure.”
Chris Workman, Philomath city manager and Philomath Frolic and Rodeo board member, came up with the idea.
“When the Skirvins donated that property to the city, one of the very first things that the Frolic board started talking about was how do we make sure that we’re fully utilizing the property and making sure that it’s a community asset,” Workman said. “One of the first things that I thought of was the need for baseball fields because I’ve seen the demand that was on the field at City Park … so I reached out to PYAC and talked to Eddie Van Vlack and he was pretty open to the idea and we started a conversation.”
Van Vlack credited the roles that Workman and former Frolic and Rodeo board president Darrell Hinchberger played in the project coming together.
“They have both coached and have kids in our programs and so they know that we are struggling with our field space,” he said.
Various renderings of how the fields would be constructed were considered and then there were floodplain issues to work through. Van Vlack said Slater Excavation contributed significantly to the project through its work, which included the use of a laser system to determine the distribution of dirt.
After the work had been done, PYAC waited for a year to see how the area flooded. Grading adjustments were made and eventually grass seed was spread and the fields cut out.
“We got the project actually completed probably two-thirds to three-quarters of the way through last season so we had some teams come over and practice at the end of the season,” Van Vlack said.
Van Vlack estimated that the project cost ended up at around $60,000.
Said Bennett, “We needed them pretty bad and it’s nice to get it all done and functional.”
Workman said the addition to Skirvin Park has already had a positive impact on folks utilizing the site.
“There’s been more people there on the grounds this year already than we’ve ever had in previous years,” Workman said.
Games scheduled for the fields will feature the 9-10 and 11-12 age groups. During the offseason, the fields could be used for other things, such as flag football, Van Vlack said. At least one organization from outside Philomath has inquired about using the fields for a tournament.
Youth teams started practicing on the fields in mid-April and the first games were played in early May.
“There’s still little things I’d like to see better on the fields,” Van Vlack said. “We’ve got to get the grass in a little bit better shape and I think we’ll get there eventually. But I mean, overall, everybody that comes, they’re just really, really happy with how everything turned out.”
