A lighting structure on Field 2 at Canyon Lake’s Gault Field collapsed onto the batting cages on Saturday afternoon, raising concerns among community members and drawing attention to the aging lighting structures at the baseball fields.
According to Eddie Valdez, the safety officer for Canyon Lake Little League, he had previously reported his safety concerns to the POA, specifically to POA Director Alex Cook, before the collapse occurred.
“As a board member for the Canyon Lake Little League, this pole was my first concern,” Valdez said. “The League has been notifying and reaching out with concerns of this as a safety issue to the Canyon Lake Board. I personally shared my concerns with Board Member Alex Cook during a committee meeting. I was told directly that this light pole has been inspected and is of no concern, that it was looked at and would be braced up if needed for stability.”
Resident Jennifer Ivers reported that an adult and child were practicing on Field 2 around 9:30 a.m. on the morning of the incident. She estimated that the collapse occurred sometime between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m.
“This is a complete blessing that no one was killed or injured, Valdez said. “Negligence of this type of safety issue is unacceptable. We all would be the ones to pay as homeowners. Thank God everyone is safe, but if members of the board are willing to gamble at our expense, we need to see who we are voting in as leaders of this community. There is no expense that should not be prioritized for public safety. That should and must be top priority for Canyon Lake.”
In March, the POA Board of Directors approved $556,824 in funding to update the aging sports lighting at the fields. The lighting on Field 2 dates back to the mid-1980s. The lighting on Field 1 was installed in the 1990s.
According to the POA, the lights were inspected before the funding was approved in March. Once the funding was approved, the contract was awarded, and the project is in progress. As a first step, a geotechnical engineer was hired to perform a soil test, which the POA said is scheduled to be completed this week.
Residents took to Facebook to express their safety concerns. “This pole was a huge safety issue and was addressed to the POA numerous times by the league and parents,” one poster said. “They should have secured it right away and not waited for approval for a new light. Thank god no one was hurt and the league was on spring break.”
“We must maintain our existing facilities rather than go crazy building new ones,” another poster said. “Fields have been neglected for years. Thank God for the Little League volunteers.”
According to the statements made by board members during the March meeting, the POA was aware that the poles were rotting out. “This is a safety issue,” President Bill Van Vleet said during the meeting. “It’s an 18-inch pole, and right now, you can drive a screwdriver nine inches into that. We’re concerned in particular if we have high winds that its a very significant threashold.”
The Canyon Lake Insider reached out to Director Cook for a comment and to request the date of the most recent inspection. He did not respond.
