WATERVLIET ARSENAL, N.Y. (April 22, 2015) -- Designing, creating, and building things are in the Watervliet Arsenal's DNA, but it was the work outside of the Arsenal fence line this month that something magical happened ̶ for a brief moment, the building of cannons became secondary to the building of lives.
On a small plot of dirt near where cotton and knitting mills once flourished in the 1800s is a baseball field that had fallen into near disrepair. For more than 60 years, kids from the small City of Cohoes, N.Y., spent their summers greasing their gloves, putting on the uniform of their hometown team, and then picking teams to play ball on this field.
Through the years, however, the City of Cohoes had fallen on tough times, as many other cities did throughout the nation, as it lost its manufacturing base. The city's population peaked in 1910 at nearly 25,000 residents. Today, a little more than 16,000 call Cohoes home.
But what was not lost through the generations of the ebb and flow of prosperity was the community's love for its kids. That was evident this month at the Intermediate Baseball Field on Adams Avenue.
It would be at this ballpark where many Arsenal employees joined with the Cohoes community in an effort to bring back a sense of pride to this field that has hosted three generations of kids. Given who the club's president and vice president are, it is no wonder that a spirit of volunteerism was on such great display.
Donnie Gibbs, who is the president for the National Federation of Federal Employees Union at the Arsenal, is now the president of the Cohoes Intermediate Baseball League. His vice president is Al Frament, a man who spent more than 33 years at the Arsenal and who retired from machining in 2010. They took charge of the league in 2013.
Given Gibbs's and Frament's connections at the Arsenal, as well as their art of persuasion, they were able to convince several well-skilled Arsenal employees, as well as the community, to assist them at the ballpark.
Whether it was Arsenal Fire Chief John Whipple, who transported sod from a local store to the ballpark on his personal trailer, or the Arsenal's Public Works team of Joe Lavigne, Mike Denim and Jesus Guerra, who rewired outfield lights among other things, everyone came together for the kids regardless of whether or not they called Cohoes home.
"Just about everything that goes into a ball field was upgraded," Gibbs said. "The infield has new grass, lighting was installed for night games, and the bleachers and concession stand have new paint."
In addition to the Arsenal workers, Gibbs was able to get great support from his neighbors, league families, and from local businesses.
"Several of my neighbors are out here helping out and they don't even have kids," Gibbs said. "But who really came through were the local businesses who donated thousands of dollars worth of such things as sod, paint, lighting material, and heavy equipment."
At no cost to the league, Saratoga Sod provided new infield grass, Wolberg Lighting Design and Electrical Supply provided outdoor lighting, Abele Builders and Jack Troy's Auto Body Works provided dozers, and the Tri-City ValleyCats Baseball organization rebuilt the pitcher's mound and home plate area, Gibbs said.
Frament said that it was great to see the community, as well as his former coworkers, come out to support the kids.
"I can't wait for the opening day in May when the kids first come to play, because it will give them a tremendous sense of pride in their ballpark and in their community," Frament said. "Heck, it will make us (adults) feel pretty good, too."
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The Watervliet Arsenal is an Army-owned-and-operated manufacturing facility and is the oldest, continuously operating arsenal in the United States, having begun operations during the War of 1812. It celebrated its 200th anniversary in July 2013.
Today's Arsenal is relied upon by U.S. and foreign militaries to produce the most advanced, high-tech, high-powered weaponry for cannon, howitzer, and mortar systems. This National Historic Registered Landmark has an annual economic benefit to the local community in excess of $90 million, and its 2014 revenue was about $117 million.
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