NKY youth baseball league trying to find funds to replace storm-damaged dugouts

INDEPENDENCE, Ky. (FOX19) - Kenton County Youth Sports is feverishly working to figure out how to replace several dugouts that were damaged by high winds earlier this month.

“Our whole Board of Directors is, you know, just scrambling trying to find money. Trying to find money, trying to figure out what to do... options we can do to make the field better but it puts us under the bus,” Maintenance Director Ryan Sparks said.

The league has been quoted $3,000 to $3,500 per dugout to have the old wood structures replaced with chain-link fence.

“It was crazy when I saw it and like it was unbelievable how much damage has happened to it,” 4th Grader Grant Morrison said.

The league has started a GoFundMe to cover the cost of the repairs. Kenton County Youth Sports says they keep their league fees low to allow more children to participate which also means they have a smaller financial base to cover the cost of the repairs.

“We're a non-profit organization so we try to keep the player fees low because it's a rec league. It's not a travel league where kids travel for an hour and pay $500,” Sparks said.

The baseball fields along Oliver Rd in Independence have been around since 1957 and the league says 600 children play on the fields each year.

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