Coach Don Walton secures $15,000 grant

Coach Don Walton secures $15,000 grant

By Ben Norfolk Posted June 2, 2010

Lowry baseball coach Don Walton recently received a $15,000 grant from the E.L. Cord foundation out of Reno which will be used to replace either the fences going down the foul lines or the backstop.

“When I wrote it, it was for replacement of the fences and the backstop,” said Walton. “I got a quote on the fences from Artistic Fence and to replace the fences going down the two foul lines is going to be right at $16,000. An estimate I made to replace our backstop was around $11,000.”

This is not the first grant that Walton has received.

“Don has done a great job and contributed a lot to the district,” said head baseball coach Ron Espinola. “Previously his grants have helped refinish the gym floor, replace the seats in the auditorium and buy a mower and shed for the baseball field.”

Espinola would like to raise the backstop by ten feet which would make it 30 feet tall. He would also like to replace the fencing with protective netting. Doing so would keep more foul balls on the field and protect spectators.

“The netting gives fans a better view of the game and the increased height would create a safer environment for them,” said Espinola.

The baseball team has been raising money through concessions so they can replace the grass on the varsity infield and install sod on the JV field. This will create a better and safer playing surface. In addition, with the realignment of the 3A, the JV field will be used for games next year when Lowry plays host to crossover games.

The grant must be approved by the HCSD school board.

Leave a Reply