New safety net raised above Paulina ball field
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, April 5, 2000
DANIEL TYLER GOODEN / L’Observateur / April 5, 2000
PAULINA – After 10 years of looking over their shoulder every time the crowd cheers across the baseball field, Robert and Brandy Siears are finally able to relax.
While raising their two daughters, Shae, 12, and Shelbi, 2, the fear of a baseball arcing over the field to strike the children while they are playing in the yard has constantly lingered in the back of their minds.
This fear has been justified and constantly re-enforced over the years, said Robert Siears. “I was in the yard with the girls, and less than two minutesafter they went in the house a baseball hit the driveway right where they were playing,” he said.
His wife added that when Shae was 2 she came in with a baseball and said, “‘Look what somebody threw to me.'”The Siearses have been asking the parish to do something about the problem since 1990. The parish had assured the family all damages due to thebaseball field would be paid for, but that wasn’t a concern for them.
“It’s such a beautiful facility, we don’t want people not to play there. We justwant to know our children are safe,” said Siears.
When Wilson Malbrough Jr. was inaugurated as councilman in January, Siearscalled him.
“He wasn’t home so I didn’t leave a message, but he must have had caller ID,” said Siears. Five minutes later Malbrough called back.Siears said he said he was coming right over.
When he looked over the situation and heard tell of the baseballs coming so close to hitting the children, he knew this needed to be taken care of sooner than later, said Malbrough.
Within a week Malbrough got things rolling. When Brandy Siears stood beforethe council at a meeting later that week she was assured a plan was in progress. Malbrough had ordered heavy duty netting to span the lightingpoles behind the house. The netting, now in place, shields the Siears’ house,their yard and their children.
“It’s a great comfort now not to have to worry about a ball hit by a college kid flying into your yard next to your kids,” Brandy Siears said.
And her husband said he is thankful Malbrough was there to help, adding the councilman “really needs to be noted for his reaction to the problem and his willingness to help us out.”
Return To News Stories