Apr 15, 2016 2 min read

DONORA – Stan Musial Field will be transported back in time this summer after Donora Council approved its use by a vintage baseball team.

Ted Pavlack, owner and manager of the Allegheny Ironsides, a registered baseball club in the Vintage Base Ball Association, told council what the sport is all about. The teams play ball according to the 19th-century rules and wear period uniforms from baseball’s formative years. Pavlack said he looked at fields around the area and the Stan Musial Field at Palmer Park fits the team’s needs perfectly.

“This will be good for the community. What better place to start an expansion team than in the hometown of two hall of fame baseball players?” Pavlack said. Although the sport isn’t well-known in the Mon Valley, the clubs are nationally known, he explained, and the team members are from the Mon Valley and Pittsburgh area. According the VBBA website, matches are played in more than 20 states and Canada.

Before each game a short presentation is given about the history of the team’s local area. “We will be promoting Donora and the community when we play throughout the country,” said Pavlack.

“I was born here in Donora and still live here. I love this town and I think this will be a great thing for our community,” added CJ Swaney, treasurer of the Allegheny Ironsides. The team will play a minimum of six games a year at Palmer Park with practices throughout the season.

Council approved the team’s use of the field on the condition that the club shows proof of insurance and works out its schedule with the community teams that also play there.

“I think this will be a wonderful thing for our community,” said Councilwoman Karen Polkabla.

In other news, the borough approved the purchase a new telephone system for the Donora Municipal Building’s administration offices, fire station and police station in the amount of $9,712 from Advent Communications Systems of Washington. The motion passed, 6-1 with Councilman Jimmie Coulter voting no. Coulter stated that he thought it was a lot of money to spend on a phone system.

“It is a lot of phones. The phones have been failing and we need to do something before we have no phones,” said Polkabla. She added that Advent had the lowest price that the borough found.