buffalo445Jamestown, ND (KCSi-T.V. News) — The Buffalo City Tourism Foundation Executive Advisory Board, Friday (Sept 20,2013), meeting at the CSi Technology Center, at Historic Franklin School,  approved a $15,000 grant request from the Jamestown Parks and Recreation Department for the addition of a press box to the recently improved fast-pitch softball diamond number 11, at McElroy Park.

Spokesperson Joan Morris who helped initiate the project, said Parks and Recreation asked for the dollars so that a base of additional funds would be established to ask for matching dollars. The total cost of the press box is estimated at $25,000 to $30,o00.

The press box to be located behind home plate is addition to recent improvements to diamond 11, which has included a scoreboard, new dugouts, and fences. Handicapped accessible seating is also be looked at.

The BCTF grant was approved unanimously, as the foundation board heard from Ms. Morris about increasing tourism dollars, with additional fast patch softball tournaments with teams from around the state using the facility and bringing more tourism dollars to Jamestown.

She added that other entities that have contributed to the project included the University of Jamestown, Jamestown High School, Parks and Recreation, and private donations amounting to $70,000 which has increased to $90,000, with the addition of private pledges and about $10,000 in “in-kind” donations.

Also at the meeting, former Jamestown Mayor Clarice Liechty outlined a proposal to construct a road to connect and develop into one area, the tourism sites of the Frontier Village, the National Buffalo Museum, the McElroy Park softball diamonds, and Pepper’s Dog Park, by means of a connecting road.

Also giving a presentation at the meeting was Fred Walker, of North Dakota Tourism, who since joining the department, following his tenure at the former Jamestown Convention and Visitors Bureau, has traveled about 500,000 miles, since 2003, promoting North Dakota internationally.