City May Have to Pay for Stadium Lights Up Front

The city will likely have to dip into its own funds to pay for repairing the lights at , mayor Jim Smith and law director John Gasior said at Monday's meeting of City Council.

Repairs need to be done before baseball season begins in May, Gasior said, and insurance payments may not be fast enough.

One light tower in December. Further inspections are going on, and possible weaknesses on other towers have been discovered.

The city would be reimbursed by insurance later, Smith said.

There are four companies involved in the poles outside of insurance, Gasior said. There's the manufacturer, the electrical contractor which purchased the poles, the engineer that designed the lighting system and the placement of the poles, and the company which installed them.

"How the liability breaks down is going to be a long process," Gasior said. There may also be litigation, he added.

"We have to act now," Gasior said. "We can't wait on insurance."

In addition to the holding their home opener on May 18, the Mid-American Conference baseball championships are being held May 23-26 at the stadium.  baseball team also plays some games at the stadium.