This is the baseball field at Frame Park. There is a proposal to spend $1 million dollars to turn it into a stadium for Northwoods League baseball. I took a walk around the field the other day and tried to imagine what changes would have to take place on that footprint to make it happen. This is the footprint:
Lots of money was spent to bring Frame Park back to its current glorious status. It is now a destination spot for anyone coming to Waukesha. The developer has indicated that his plans will not overwhelm the current footprint. Let’s start behind home plate. I will admit that there is a lot more space behind home plate for expansion than I remembered:
My memory goes back to when there was a huge tree behind home plate, which is now gone. It’s impossible not to notice the light towers. While the lights were updated some years ago, the towers were built by an ancient Iron Age tribe, as far as I know. The left field line has room for expansion:
However, the right field line would require expansion of the footprint. This is from behind the plate looking towards the right field line:
This is from the right field foul pole looking in. More wanton destruction of helpless lilacs:
The reconstructed Frame Park features the wonderful biking/hiking paths:
Turning to my right from that picture, this is a view from the very edge of the river bank looking back to the scoreboard in left field:
The developer says he will not disturb the paths. If you build bleachers beyond the fences, you’ll disturb the paths in left. If you move the fences back, you’ll disturb the paths. If you don’t move the the fences back … well, this would be my major concern if I was a baseball manager at Frame Park:
The left field foul pole with a 300 ft marker. How do you keep the games from descending into a Couri Insurance softball game without moving the fences back, which means moving the light towers, as well? This is the deepest part of the Frame Park diamond. It used to be a cozy 372 feet from home plate at center field, if I remember correctly. I don’t know if it’s more now, I don’t think so. In any case, you can’t move the fence far without encroaching on the towers:
The bigger question is how do you keep from changing the gem Frame Park is again?
I’m in favor of Frame Park’s baseball field. It borders on a dream for a true baseball fan to go to Frame Park on a warm summer night and watch a game, any game. I’m in favor of spending money on improving the field, the lights and the facilities. But I’m afraid I cannot support making the changes that a Northwoods League franchise would entail because the essence of the Frame family’s gift to the city would be lost.
