Nova Scotia·NewTruro town council plans to review all of its major capital projects following a mistake involving the design of a new baseball field that will cost the town more than a half-million dollars to address.Standing water and safety concerns cited as reasons for the additional spendingLuke Ettinger · CBC News · Posted: Oct 07, 2025 10:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 31 minutes agoThree ponds at the new Argus Drive baseball field were built based on approved drawings but do not drain, according to Town of Truro staff who said concerns about standing water and safety led to a call for bids to infill. (Luke Ettinger/CBC)Truro town council plans to review all of its major capital projects following a mistake involving the design of a new baseball field that will cost the town more than a half-million dollars to address.Three ponds at the new Argus Drive baseball field were built based on approved drawings but do not drain, according to Town of Truro staff who said concerns about standing water and safety led to a call for bids to infill the ponds. On Monday, council awarded the work to Dexter Construction, which bid just over $628,000 with the goal of finishing the work in the next two months.With the project edging toward completion, Mayor Cathy Hinton said the last-minute change to the design of the baseball field facility is a concern. “When mistakes are made or when, you know, things are done where we know we can do better, we have to do better. So we are going to come together, we’re going to review all the projects,” she said in an interview.The baseball field was relocated to Argus Drive from Golf Street as part of the Truro Amateur Athletic Club (TAAC) grounds revitalization, which in 2023 was estimated to cost $8.6 million. The total for the two projects has climbed to $11.6 million.’Original state’ Coun. Jim Flemming, the only councillor to vote against the motion to have the ponds infilled, said a chain-link fence would have been a more cost-effective solution. Oliver Browning, director of public works, said the multiple kilometres of fencing that would be required would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. He said the ponds were not intended for storm-water management on the site. “We’re essentially bringing it back to its original state,” Browning told council. “The way the site drained originally before construction is going to be mimicked with what we’re doing here again,” he said. Browning said there are ongoing discussions about potential uses for the infilled areas, such as batting cages. TAAC renaming The former TAAC site is now home to a multi-sport all-weather field and synthetic eight-lane track with regulation throwing areas that is now open to sports groups and the public. It will be officially renamed the No. 2 Construction Battalion Athletic Facility on Nov. 8. A monument being partially funded by Veterans Affairs Canada honouring the all-Black First World War battalion that trained there will also be unveiled. The project, initiated more than a decade ago, was originally slated for completion in late 2024. In 2022, the federal government contributed $3.2 million and the province provided $2.67 million toward the renovation, which is also being supported by the town, Municipality of Colchester and private donations. ABOUT THE AUTHORLuke Ettinger is a reporter with CBC Nova Scotia based in Truro. Reach him at luke.ettinger@cbc.ca.
Truro spending $628K to fill ponds created during baseball field construction
