BaldwinCity.com

There were a couple of surprises at Monday's Baldwin City Council meeting, one involving the fire department and the other regarding new ball fields.

The Baldwin City Fire Department showed up en masse at Monday's meeting, with many of the firefighters arriving via several of the department's fire trucks. The firefighters expressed their concerns regarding the newly established full-time position of fire chief.

It wasn't surprising that they had strong opinions about the fire department. The surprise was why they didn't attend the series of council meetings in January when the change from a full-time firefighter to a full-time chief was debated and, finally, voted on in February.

We were told the firefighters were fine with the change. Obviously, that's not the case. We're glad to see that there will be a meeting between the firefighters and the safety committee to work the situation out.

We've always been strong supporters of the fire department and that will continue. Fire protection is one of the most important services the community receives.

The other surprise came from Steve Friend, the new director of the Baldwin City Recreation Commission. He told the council that the commission had purchased $300,000 worth of ball field equipment for $23,300 on an eBay auction. Wow.

It's the first new sign that new ball fields will finally be taking shape here. The present ball fields have long been an embarrassment to the community and we'll be glad to see that change in the near future.

We're also pleased about what the remarkable purchase can mean to lowering the figure necessary for new fields which will likely be a part of the Baldwin School District's upcoming bond issue.