DAMASCHKE DEMOLITION BEGINS

Goodbye Grandstand

Gary Laing, Oneonta Outlaws owner, says goodbye to the Damaschke Field grandstand as demolition began this morning. The project, which will take several months, will be completed in several stages; the first, taking out the seats and tearing down the fences, will be finished in a matter of weeks. Laing plans to auction off several of the seats at a later date, and the remaining metal will be recycled.  A new concrete pad will be poured before winter sets in, and come May 1, new seats will be placed 25 feet closer to home plate for the team’s return on May 15. In addition, the boxes and dugouts will be rebuilt, with 40 feet of netting placed over them for safety. Phase II of the project, rebuilding the grandstands, will be completed after additional fundraising, some of which was secured by state Senator Jim Seward, R-Milford. At right, Hunter Cika and Paul Young, Clark Companies, begin the process of tearing out the old seats. (Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)