PINEHURST — A new net was installed Friday at Pastime Park, a move Kellogg School District officials and local youth baseball leaders hope will put an end to an ongoing controversy involving foul balls leaving the field and impacting neighboring property. 

Avista Utilities installed two new poles supporting a net behind the field’s existing 24-foot backstop. The net adds several feet of additional coverage and protection, and is designed to prevent foul balls from traveling over the backstop and into nearby properties or the street. 

All of the work was donated. The net itself was provided by Dale and Cathy Buege. 

The installation follows a social media post made April 26 by Vanessa Christensen, who lives near the field on Wyoming Street. In the post, Christensen detailed frustrations with baseballs routinely striking her property, including her home and vehicles, and in one instance striking her personally. The post included photos and videos documenting some of the incidents. 

In her post, Christensen stated her main concern was safety — for her family and for the children playing at the field — and said changes were needed for that to be possible. 

“I want something to be done,” she wrote. “A simple net, a higher fence, a top over the batting area.” 

Pastime Park is owned by the Kellogg School District but is used by the Silver Valley Little League and the Silver Valley Baseball Club. In 2023, volunteers with the SVBC resurfaced the field and upgraded several features with district approval. The renovated field reopened in 2024 and has seen heavy use since. 

Christensen, who moved into the home in 2023, said she had been communicating with the district for at least 10 months regarding injuries and property damage caused by foul balls. She claimed those complaints were ignored until she submitted a tort claim. 

On April 29, KSD Superintendent Lance Pearson said the district did not receive any complaints or claims from Christensen until earlier in the month. He said the complaint was immediately submitted to the district’s insurance provider, but the claims were denied and the Christensens were reportedly told to contact the Silver Valley Baseball Club. 

Because the fields are owned by the district, groups that use them are required to carry liability insurance for their events. 

The Silver Valley Little League released a statement following Christensen’s post stating that the league was aware of incidents occurring during the 2025 season and had been exploring solutions. However, many of the potential options exceeded the league’s financial capacity. 

As a result, the league began working with local partners to find more affordable solutions or donations, which ultimately led to the project completed Friday. 

Pearson said the district also began looking for solutions immediately after receiving the complaint. 

“Since receiving the initial complaint earlier this month, we received an estimate to raise the height of the backstop but chose not to do that because the company could not guarantee the safety of the fence at that height in high winds,” Pearson said. “We have worked with Silver Valley Little League Baseball Board Member Michelle Schroeder to attach netting to the existing backstop to prevent foul balls. The Silver Valley Little League was waiting for a stretch of good weather so the field would be dry enough to bring in the heavy equipment needed to conduct this improvement.” 

Pearson expressed appreciation for the work completed Friday and for the organizations involved in revitalizing youth baseball in the Silver Valley. 

“We appreciate the efforts of our local organizations to provide a quality playing field for our children to play baseball,” Pearson said. “Avista, the Silver Valley Little League and the Silver Valley Baseball Club have all been great to work with. We all respect that kids need activities and to stay active, especially during long summer months. We look forward to resolving this issue so our children can enjoy the great American sport of baseball at Pastime Park in Pinehurst for another 50 years.” 

In a message to the News-Press Friday evening after the net was installed, Christensen offered a cautious response, saying it was “definitely better than nothing... maybe not much better though. Guess we will see.”