ODEM, Texas — The Little League baseball fields in Odem are set to be renovated.
Concrete walkways need to be reconstructed, new fencing is set to be welded and it is looking to be a costly job.
"I had already put out feelers," Odem Mayor Billy Huerta said. "It would cost about $2,500."
Instead of hiring a construction company to make the renovations, the city and the little league has turned their attention towards Odem High School. The shop class at the school will step up to the plate and be in charge of the construction. It will be the largest project the shop class has ever attempted.
"We started off small," shop instructor Omar Almaguer said. "We were making nameplates out of wood and stuff like that."
This is more than making nameplates or shelves. For the students, it will be an opportunity to give back to the community and provide something tangible to the little league they were never able to experience.
"When we were little playing baseball we never had stuff like this," junior Michael Burnaman said. "We just went over there with whatever we had."
The class will only be putting concrete down on certain parts of the little league complex and replacing older patches. It will be the students' chance to leave their mark on the community for years to come.
"They'll be able to later on in life if they have their kids eventually playing little league and they can point to that slab and say 'hey thar right there we did that in high school'." Almaguer said.
This project almost could be a trial run for the class. Since they are able to weld metal, pour concrete and much more, if this project can be a success, there will be a long list of jobs for the shop classes for years to come.
They are expected to begin construction on the complex next week.
