Baseball Association 191 Lobbies City for Reader Board at Alimagnet Park

Burnsville’s BA 191 went to the City Council Work Session on Tuesday night seeking approval to build an electronic reader board for Alimagnet Park.

It seems their efforts may have been successful.

While approval could not be granted because Tuesday’s meeting was a work session instead of a formal city council meeting, council members in attendance sounded optimistic about putting the motion to a formal vote.

“This is the information age,” council member Dan Kealey said. “People appreciate and expect information. Those boards in parks with ball fields is natural. Where you have sporting events, signage is expected.”

The reader board—similar to those located in front of Nicollet Commons Park and City Hall on Nicollet Avenue—would be funded through a partnership between the City of Burnsville and BA 191.

While unique, the partnership is not without precedent, especially where BA 191 is concerned.

“The Association has put about $500,000 into Alimagnet Park since 1998 and I would say the City has matched that number over the same time period,” BA 191 president Ken Slipka said after the work session.

Alimagnet Park is the home field for Burnsville baseball players ranging from 16-year-old high school students to 25-year-old amateurs. Facilities on hand at the park include a scoreboard, press box, concession stand and batting cages.

Under the BA 191 proposal, the sign would be donated to the City of Burnsville and would be used to keep residents informed of events and activities at the park. BA 191 would also sell advertising space on the sign to area businesses to help fund organizational fees.   

While many council members sounded enthusiastic about additional signage at Alimagnet Park, councilwoman Mary Sherry was less impressed with the proposal.  

“It’s true we live in an information age, but there is such a thing as too much information. How commercial do we want our parks to be?” Sherry asked. “I can see that there would be an advantage to this but where would we draw the line? I don’t think we’d want these types of signs in every park.”

Council members closed the issue by directing City Manager Craig Ebeling and Community Development Director Jenny Faulkner to work with BA 191 to draft a planned unit development (PUD) which would allow additional signage in the park.

The City Council was insistent that any official vote be postponed until Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz could hear arguments for and against to proposal.