By Amanda Raymond

amanda.raymond@salisburypost.com

The Spencer Board of Aldermen decided to purchase new netting for the Eighth Street Ball Park from Medallion Athletic Products Inc.

The board met on Tuesday at 600 S. Salisbury Ave.

According to board documents, the safety netting on the main field’s backstop and on the pole line between the fields needs to be replaced. The netting was put up 15 years ago and has not been replaced since then.

Two local companies provided estimates, and another company recently provided an additional quote.

Medallion Athletic Products, Inc. in Mooresville could provide the netting at about $2,108, and Fisher Athletic in Salisbury could provide it at $2,910. InCord, Inc. gave an estimate of $2,190.

Alderman Kevin Jones asked if the netting from the different companies was comparable, and Interim Town Manager Reid Walters said they were “pretty much the same netting.”

“I know with the lower quote, that netting’s the same netting that they have out at East Rowan High School, at the ball field out there,” Walters said. “And I went out to look at it, and it’s high quality.”

The board decided to get the netting from Medallion Athletic Products. The town staff will install the netting, and old netting will be reused for the batting cage.

Walters said the funds for the netting will come from a budget amendment.

In other business, the board:

• Heard departmental reports.
• Heard a report from Walters. He talked about recodification and raising the penalties associated with civil citations. The town has applied for contingency funding to help with the Park Plaza area. Improvements would include repaving the road and rebuilding storm water drains. He also said site plans have been finalized for Spencer Woods.
• Heard a report from Mayor Jim Gobbel. He summarized the board’s planning retreat on Feb. 19 and 20.
• Set a date to take a required two-hour ethics class.
• Heard a vision statement from Aldermen David Lamanno about the board’s primary goal, which was to improve the physical appearance of the town. The board suggested that Lamanno tweak the statement a little and bring it back to the board, which Lamanno agreed with.
• Went into a closed session to discuss a permanent town manager position.

Contact reporter Amanda Raymond at 704-797-4222.