Electricians volunteer to restore power to Arlington youth baseball field

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dozens of section electricians sacrificed a time disconnected to marque repairs to a section shot tract that was ransacked by thieves past year.

This comes aft the News4JAX I-Team exposed the terrible harm those thieves caused.

On Saturday, volunteers restored powerfulness to the Arlington Little League shot tract truthful hundreds of kids tin get backmost connected the diamond successful clip for the outpouring season.

This was idiosyncratic to Alan Jones, who was 1 of the volunteers.

He played shot connected the aforesaid diamond 50 years ago.

“I person memories of each the guys I played with and each the coaches,” helium said. “Those are priceless.”

Seeing that aforesaid tract damaged was capable for Jones and different electricians from the IBEW Local 177 national and Miller Electric Company to regenerate the wiring for free. That wiring powered things similar the scoreboard, energy successful the property box, and lights connected the field.

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Mike Brannen helped Saturday. He and Jones are disgusted by the harm done.

“It was conscionable senseless that idiosyncratic came and ruined each of this for specified a small reward that they got retired of it,” Brannen said.

The News4JAX I-Team showed the enactment of the thieves from precocious past year.

They gutted the spot Halloween play 2021, stealing instrumentality similar dozens of pairs of cleats, they bashed the doors, tore up fences and ripped retired copper wiring.

“It affects the kids,” Jones said. “It’s disgusting.”

The enactment was forced to chopped past autumn play abbreviated for hundreds of kids and reported $80,000 worthy of harm and stolen goods.

The repairs are escaped of complaint for the Arlington Lions Club, which owns the sports analyzable but leases it to the small league for $1.

Councilman Al Ferraro stopped by to measure the enactment and convey the electricians. This was an grant for Brannen.

“We person been blessed with a accomplishment that not everybody has,” helium said. “Well, we get a accidental to get backmost and usage that for the bully of a community. We perfectly privation to bash it.”

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It was a agelong day’s enactment to close a wrong.

“It tin acceptable an illustration for idiosyncratic other down the road,” Jones said.

The anticipation is for young ballplayers to instrumentality to enactment soon.

Repairs are moving on successful clip for opening time for outpouring shot March 5 astatine the aforesaid spot Jones developed his game.

“The kids successful the aboriginal could person immoderate of those memories similar I did,” Jones said.

All of the materials and supplies were donated by Graybar Electrical Supply.

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