Opening-day celebration set at Boston ballfield

Activities will begin at 9 a.m. today with celebrity guests and free food.

Today marks opening day for the new Boston ballfield in Elizabeth Township, as ballplayers and guests will be able to enjoy the field once again.

The township had a groundbreaking in April of 2024. Work has been handled by PDDM Solutions, and it has been named Rhino Memorial Ballfield. The field is located between a section of Greater Allegheny Passage trail and the Youghiogheny River.

From 9-10 a.m. today, visitors can take pictures with Pittsburgh Pirates players Jack Suwinski and Jared Jones. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will follow, and playtime on the field starts at 10:30 a.m. with the Pirate Parrot in attendance.

Free hot dogs, fries and drinks have been donated by Blaine Hill BBQ Catering and will be available starting at 11:30 a.m.

All the poles light up for home runs, the field could withstand a flood from the river and it has a surveillance system that goes to public works and police, according to commissioner Chris Thoma.

Other features include ad- BALLFIELD •A2

“It’s the envy of the Mon Valley.”

CHRIS THOMA

ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP COMMISSIONER justable fences, lit dugouts, bleachers, removable plates and a removable six-piece, $18,000 mound for WPIAL games. The fences can be moved to create anywhere from a 50-person field to a 500-person field.

“Even if this thing was totally underwater, water recedes, it drains and there might be a little bit of clean up. Totally playable,” Thoma said. “The reason the fence is out here is because you can play baseball or softball from T-ball all the way to high school. Whether you are youth baseball or softball, you can play this very quickly and very easily.”

The township will include EFYA boys and girls at the opening ceremony, according to Commissioner Adam Musisko. The first unofficial game was played on the field this week with the Elizabeth Forward softball team winning 4-2 over Uniontown. The first official game will be Monday.

The Elizabeth Township Fire Department has volunteered its time to help water the newly planted outfield grass. Public works will maintain the field all year round.

Pennsylvania American Water, which will have representatives at the event, donated $20,000 to Elizabeth Township’s revitalization of the complex, according to manager of external affairs Brent Robinson, who said they are “very proud” of investing in the project.

“Investing in the communities we serve is very important in Pennsylvania American Water, and we believe investing and volunteering in our schools and nonprofit organizations, we couldn’t think of anything more important than donating $20,000 to the revitalization of the Boston field,” Robinson said.

In 2024, PA American Water donated around $1.4 million to local communities, Robinson said, through grants and sponsorships in 25 organizations.

The property will also include a fieldhouse, which has been in renovations the last few months. Part of the building will be put together by the time the event happens, but construction will continue after the opening.

The township is working on a Phase 2 of the project to put in bathrooms and add other elements to the building. It’s expected to be completed this summer. The building can hold batting cages, indoor turf and more.

Musisko said the high-value field house is worth $1 million, but the township received a $282,880 estimate from PDDM Solutions to design, construct and run utilities to the building, which the board approved at its last meeting. There would also be $92,000 in donations and $170,000 from the board of commissioners.

Advertisements have been put up at the field to gain some revenue for the building, which was Musisko’s idea. Many local businesses are represented.

Commissioners plan on building on the new ballfield to invest in other opportunities, including a possible multi-purpose field and other renovations.

“Hopefully the rehab of the gateway to the community to one of the gateways to the community is the springboard to grow into additional phases of development,” Musisko said. “If I can get it out there that it was such a great rehab that we can piggyback it and go from there.”

“I just love it. This has been a lot of work, a lot of time to try to make sure we get it right,” Thoma said. “All these local companies were reaching out to us saying, hey I see what you have going on down there and wanted to help out. It’s the envy of the Mon Valley.”