<p>The new stairs at Bob White Field in Pendleton replace the crumbling set to the right, shown here during a recent Babe Ruth district tournament game.</p>

A quarter-century-year-old blemish was replaced with 21st century stairs at Bob White Field last month.

The Pendleton?Babe Ruth Association allocated $24,000 to build a three-landing flight of concrete stairs leading to the baseball field from its parking lot. The old wooden railroad tie steps of 25 years did not meet current American Disability Act regulations and were deemed unsafe and in a state of disrepair. 

The old stairs were falling apart and the handrails were not secure, said Babe Ruth Association board member Richard Pointer. Ive seen kids and adults sliding down them, falling off edges. I never witnessed any significant injury, but it was definitely a possibility.

Making the project possible were an $18,000 grant from the Pendleton Foundation Trust and $6,000 in donated labor from Greenthumb Landscape and Irrigation Service LLC. It was a challenge to complete, said Greenthumb Landscape owner Mike Wister, because of the steep 26-foot grade of the hill and deep non-compactible soil.

Pendleton Babe Ruth Association president Rob Hillmick said he received constant complaints about the old stairs from the community. Most people resorted to using the metal footbridge at the west end of the parking lot to reach the bleachers until the new stairway was built.

More than 100 Babe Ruth baseball games are played at Bob White Field every year along with all Pendleton High School home stands.

Hillmick said the Pendleton Babe Ruth Association plans to host a regional tournament at Bob White Field in the coming years, and that the construction will help the fields already sterling reputation.

One thing people dont realize is Bob White Field is revered all over the state,?Hillmick said. When Pendleton played St. Helens in the state playoffs this year their coach was taking pictures of it. This field draws teams and it draws business into the community.

The new stairs are expected to remain a part of the Pendleton community well beyond the 22nd century.

The town will wash away before those stairs wash away, Wister said.