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Youth baseball league moved
The 2015 DYS Summer/Fall Triple A Baseball League has been moved to October as the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field needs repairs after sustaining damage from Typhoon Soudelor.
The Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field lost majority of its nets to Typhoon Soudelor that rammed Saipan last Aug. 2. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)
League coordinator Tony Rogolifoi said that they are looking to open the youth league late October instead of next month as they need time to fix the field’s fence and other areas of the facility. He added that matches will only be played on day time every Saturday and Sunday, as the lights won’t be available for night games.
“After initial inspection, we found out there are missing lights that dropped and broke during the typhoon. There are lights that are also not aligned and needed to be fixed,” Rogolifoi said.
Meanwhile, Rogolifoi, who also serves as the executive director of Northern Marianas Sports Association that is tasked to manage the Oleai Sports Complex, said they are still waiting official word from Federal Emergency Management Agency to find out if the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium will be used as shelters for typhoon victims.
Rogolifoi said a government official accompanied FEMA staff to the Ada Gym last week to assess the facility.
“Right now, they can’t use the gym for shelter because of the leaking roof. The vents and some windows are broken and if it continues to rain, the floor will be flooded. Some of the doors need to be fixed, too,” Rogolifoi said.
While majority of the facilities inside the complex sustained significant damage, the pitch at the track and field oval is clear and is being used by football teams getting ready for an off-island team.
“It’s going to take a while before normal operations at the complex resumes. I can’t say when, especially if the gym will be used as a shelter. We will make announcements to the public from time to time,” he added.
The unavailability of the sports facilities could have come at a better time when school is about to start and interscholastic tournaments are on the way along with the various leagues that usually use the Oleai Sports Complex.
