Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse Don Jones, owner of the Fresh Coat franchise in Canfield, checks out the backstops at the Mill Creek Junior Baseball League fields in Youngstown. Jones plans to restore the backstops through the “Freshcoat Cares” program.

YOUNGSTOWN — The backstops at the Mill Creek Junior Baseball League fields, 1106 Bears Den Road, will take on a new look next week as a team of local painters will be restoring the backstops and giving them a fresh new look.

The project has come together through the efforts of Don Jones, owner of the Canfield Fresh Coat franchise.

Jones has a long history at the Mill Creek Junior Baseball League. He fondly remembers playing on these fields as a kid — and bringing his family there as an adult.

“The first organized sports I played was at the MCJBL fields,” he said. “I have three kids and two of them will be playing on the fields next summer.”

His wife, Shannon Jones, also played on a softball team at MCJBL. Shannon’s father, the late Bill Huzicka, coached a team at the fields. The MCJBL has been a big influence in the Jones family, so wanting to give back was a given.

“We come here and observe the games and work the concessions,” Jones said. “We see the fields all summer and this year someone mentioned how poor the backstops look. I thought this is something I can help with.”

As a franchise, Jones’ Fresh Coat company can participate in the Fresh Coat Cares program, where supplies and paint are donated to worthy nonprofit organizations like the baseball league. Normally, the labor is paid for by the client, but in this case, Jones said he would donate all the labor so the MCJBL would not have to pay for anything.

On Sept. 16, Jones and a team of 10-12 painters will show up at the fields and begin the task of renewing the old backstops. The first step is to power wash the panels, then Don’s crew will use a special rust restoration primer. Once the primer is dried, the backstops will be painted and made like new.

“The products will all be the Sherman Williams brand,” Jones said. “We will be spraying it and it should last a long time.”

Dennis Merdich, president of the MCJBL said the parents help maintain the fields. He said the donation of time and materials through the Fresh Coat Cares program is a welcome donation.

“The backstops need done from time to time,” said Merdich. “This donation of time and materials means a ton. There is so much that needs done and for someone to step up to help means a lot to us. It frees us up to handle more pressing tasks.”