HARRISTON – The bleachers by the ball diamond at the Harriston-Minto Community Complex may have seen better days but its shabbiness may win the town some new seating to replace them.
The Town of Minto is part of the “Ugly Bleacher Contest” by sports equipment and infrastructure company Sports Systems which could net the town a new set of bleachers, or a discount towards new ones, should its bleachers be voted to win.
“Essentially, if yours is one of the ugliest, then you get a free bleacher worth about five grand out of it, so we thought why not?” said Matt Lubbers, Minto’s director of community services, adding a colleague of his came across this contest.
The current bleachers, named “High Rise” in the contest, aren’t a safety hazard but Lubbers acknowledged the town would benefit from a new set with a different layout.
“They’re a little bit older, a little bit high and narrow, not your traditional set-up,” Lubbers said. “The first step is a doozy, you’re going to bend your knee pretty good.”
Help #Minto win a new bleacher - vote "High Rise" as the Ugliest Bleacher in Canada!
— Town of Minto (@TownofMinto) July 24, 2023
VOTE HERE: https://t.co/ttY3fH2mgx pic.twitter.com/mDc8lLiSD7
The bleachers get a lot of use, Lubbers said, and therefore they wouldn’t necessarily get rid of the current ones.
“We will keep them around as long as we’re not causing a health hazard or safety hazard, anything like that and with the number of outdoor amenities we have it never hurts to have another feature,” Lubbers said.
He said the town should find out this month if it has won the contest or came in second or third, which would give the town a discount towards a new set.
“Ideally we’d come first so that we’re not out any money but if we win second or third, we’d have to make a decision,” Lubbers said.