Upgrades are on the way for six softball diamonds in the Pleasantdale area.

Wade St. Onge of Estevan Minor Softball gave a presentation to Estevan City Council Monday night seeking funding for certain upgrades to the diamonds, and council has agreed to help with the project at the six city-owned diamonds.

"We've come up with a plan to do some upgrades that I think are very much overdue, and also very important for achieving certain goals that we want to achieve," said St. Onge.

St. Onge said two of the diamonds have not been maintained, and there are also some safety concerns that have come up.

He said the first major upgrade is fencing because there's a gap between the backstop and the dugouts.

"People bring their own lawn chairs and they sit on the sides, and for line drives that's very dangerous for not only the spectators there, but also for children running around," he said.

He added that the dugout fencing only goes up three feet on some of the diamonds, and that players have been hit by foul balls in the past.

"We need to make sure the people in the dugouts are protected," St. Onge said, adding that they want to extend those fences from three feet to six feet.

The second major upgrade is dugouts, St. Onge said.

"We are hoping to have them all standardized...take those dugouts and pull them back, and then also extend them wider," he said.

He added that they're also looking at adding bullpens, with pitchers currently having to warm up in the outfield. He said the proposed bullpens would be similar to the ones at Lynn Prime Park.

He said they're also looking at possibly building a canopy to protect players, coaches, umpires, and spectators from the sun on hot summer days.

St. Onge said Estevan Minor Softball can do some of the upgrades themselves with its reserve fund, but the city has agreed to help financially wherever necessary.

The last major upgrades to the Pleasantdale diamonds took place in 2016 prior to the Saskatchewan Summer Games.

St. Onge added that Estevan Minor Softball would love to host a Western Canadian Championship in Estevan after the city hosted the Western Canadian Baseball Championships this past summer.