Eagle project upgrades Wolner dugouts
Childhood memories helped the aspiring Eagle Scout choose the Mound field for his project
Blake Rosenberg works on the shingles of a Wolner Field dugout during the morning of Saturday, Aug. 11. Rosenberg choose the Mound field because he had played there as a child, and he said the dugouts were at least five years overdue for upgrades. (Photos by Blaze Fugina)
The nearly 20-year-old dugouts at Mound’s Wolner Field are receiving an upgrade, including new roofing and paint thanks to an aspiring Eagle Scout.
Blake Rosenberg, a member of the Mound based Boy Scouts of America Troop 571, said he wants to restore the dugouts to the condition they were in when he played there as a child.
“I grew up playing baseball here,” he said. “Every time there was a game here I would come watch.”
The dugouts had since lost their quality over the years. While the roofing repair was happening during the morning of Saturday, Aug. 11, a man stopped by who said he helped construct the dugouts in 1994. Rosenberg said he wants to restore the dugouts to their original shape.
“It was in better shape when I played,” he said. “I want to get it back to what it used to be.”
Rosenberg noted that the roof was not in great condition, and was overdue for reconstruction.
“The shingles and the roofs are five years over what they should have been,” he said.
The aspiring Eagle Scout received help from a few different sources along the way. His troop members, scoutmaster, friends and family are helping with the construction. On Aug. 11, there were 17 people helping with the project, and six of those people were not from Troop 571. These people were his relatives and friends.
Bob Christians, the president of the Chanhassen based insurance restoration company Christians, Inc., also donated the materials needed to restore the dugouts.
Blake Rosenberg thanks Bob Christians for his donations to help renovate the Wolner Field dugouts. Rosenberg hopes the dugouts will be finished in September.
Christians said he has a local family connection with Wolner Field, and that factored into his decision to donate the materials.
“My grandkids are athletically involved here,” said Christians of the field. “Usually we sponsor about eight teams that play here. It is part of our family history.”
The Westonka Rotary, family and friends of the Rosenbergs, and the local Mound American Legion Post 398 all planned to donate as well.
The group was hoping to finish the construction by the beginning of September.
The first day was planned for roofing and shingle repairs. The second day, planned for a future weekend, will be dedicated for cleaning the dugouts. The final day is planned for painting. Rosenberg said the dugouts will have red and white exterior colors, and a gray color inside.
Chris Herdegen, the scoutmaster for Troop 571, was a part of one of the four groups dedicated to each of the dugouts of the two fields. He said that the project was bigger than most Eagle Scout projects.
“It is quite a big project, bigger than most,” said Herdegen. “They were very needed. I have two boys who played here for six years. It is helping the community.”
