LCRA, City of San Saba award $25,000 grant for improvements to baseball field at Mill Pond Park
Project will expand dugouts, add storage and repair field, sprinklers and fencing
Nov. 14, 2025
LCRA and City of San Saba representatives present a $25,000 grant to the San Saba All Sports Booster Club for improvements at the baseball field. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Grants program. Pictured, from left to right, are: David Smart, San Saba ISD field maintenance/assistant coach; Tara Tharp, booster club treasurer; Nancy Eckert Yeary, LCRA Board member; Sabel Romero, booster club secretary; Melissa K. Blanding, LCRA Board member; Ashley Johnson, booster club president; Martha Leigh M. Whitten, LCRA Board vice chair; Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, LCRA Board member; Scott Glaze, San Saba public works director; Andreas Aguirre, San Saba ISD athletic director; Patrick Kruger, San Saba ISD head baseball coach; Keith Owen, San Saba ISD superintendent; and John Palacio, LCRA Regional Affairs representative.
SAN SABA, Texas – The San Saba All Sports Booster Club soon will make upgrades to the community baseball field at Mill Pond Park, thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of San Saba.
The community grant, along with $6,400 in matching funds from the booster club, will support repairs and upgrades that include extending both dugouts to protective barrier fencing for added safety, adding a storage room to the home dugout, repairing the sprinkler system for reliable irrigation, reconditioning the infield with new base settings and providing a rebuilt pitcher’s mound and turf restoration.
“Our high school teams use this field, and in recent seasons our youth and pony league programs have relied on it too,” said Ashley Johnson, president of the San Saba All Sports Booster Club. “With more teams than fields and a longer youth season, safety and playability are top priorities. This grant lets us fix critical items like fencing, sprinklers and infield work all at once so kids can practice and play on a safer, better surface.”
The field is owned by the City of San Saba and is maintained by San Saba ISD. The planned upgrades will reduce hazards and improve field conditions to support frequent practices, games and tournaments.
“As a volunteer booster organization, raising this much on our own would have taken multiple years,” Johnson said. “This is our first grant, and it accelerates needed repairs that benefit today’s high school athletes and the younger players coming up. It also opens doors for future improvements as our programs grow.”
This is one of 41 grants awarded recently through LCRA Community Grants. These grants are awarded twice a year as part of LCRA’s effort to give back to communities in its wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The City of San Saba is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the Community Grants program.
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.
About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations.
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