With paint scrapers in hand, several members of the Great Bend Bat Cats baseball team stepped up to the plate Wednesday morning to help the Barton County Historical Society Museum and Village staff restore the exterior of the Castleton Post Office building.

Several members of the team came out in two shifts between 8 a.m. and noon to help scrape an old coat of paint off of the south side of the building as part of an effort to update and repair the facade of the century and a half old building, which has been on the museum grounds since 1971.

BCHS maintenance staff member Melvin Boner, who recently began work on the project, was grateful for the team members giving their time to help.

“I think it’s awesome the guys are out here helping the community, and I appreciate it very much,” Boner said. “(The building) has been neglected for a while and really just needed a good facelift.”

The Wednesday scraping is just the first step in a restoration process that will eventually see some deteriorating boards replaced around the structure’s deteriorating facade before adding a brand new coat of paint. The project got a boost last week in the form of a $525 donation from Dr. Mary Ann Boyle, niece of the building’s original donors.

Bat Cats head coach Roger Ward said the project is a good opportunity to give back to the community that has strongly supported the team’s on-field efforts.

“With the support we’ve been shown to be able to have a team here in town, it’s nice to try to give back to the community in ways like this,” he said.

Because the team is a non-profit organization, Ward said, having broad-based community support, especially in a smaller community like Great Bend, is vital to the team’s success.

“We’ve had some really good supporters that have allowed us to take on the cost of what it takes to run a summer baseball program,” Ward said.

Though it is a challenge to fit community projects into a hectic baseball schedule with games and travel nearly daily, Ward said he also feels the experience is good for his players, many of whom hail from out of state, or even other countries.

“Anytime you go to a different place and you’re away from home, (it’s good) to try to interact and get involved in part of the community,” he said. “This teaches them something about the community that they’re in for two months.”

The team will be at the museum again Monday, July 19 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for “Bat Cats Day,” a meet-and-greet that will give the community an opportunity to meet the players, their host families, and community little league baseball players. Admission is free for the event, and refreshments will be provided. Donations will be accepted.