New Sports Park Holds First Tournament Saturday
By: Rebecca Jeffrey
Updated: January 26, 2013
"Rogers about 20 years ago grew its league here, grew enough that we became the largest softball league in the state and only now do we have the facilities to support that," Recreation Director for the City of Roger, Rick Stocker said.
Hundreds of athletes hitting the softball fields and stealing bases, all thanks to a 10 million dollar bond issue.
"I think it's about time, and I think it's a great thing I really do," Jason Fitzgerald, participating in the 32nd annual Snowball Classic Tournament said.
But getting the complex wasn't a walk in the park.
The original bid came in seven million dollars over budget.
"When the estimates came in for the construction of the soccer complex down there, and the softball complex here, the city knew very quickly that they weren't going to be able to do both," Stocker said.
Stocker said becuase of the bid, they decided to cut the soccer fields.
But since then, the city has purchased other pieces of land that could soon amount to new fields.
"Once that land acquisition is done, we'll proceed with that and be done in a year probably.'
For now, softball teams are breaking in the bats, happy with their new home.
"I think it's a great thing, we're always having to travel down south to play ball so maybe with all these fields and all these nice fields we can get teams to come up here," Fitzgerald said.
With 35 teams and about 700 people at the complex, it's sure to give a boost to the local economy.
"I love the new ballpark, really nice facility, nice fields, I like the way they run it," Colby Cooper, a softball player from Oklahoma said.
"Economic impact of events like this is clean money. It's revenue to the city and jobs and prosperity to the businesses. They go home and the money stays here," Stocker said.
The final cost of the park was about 3 million dollars under budget after cutting the soccer fields. The extra money is now going toward completing a family aquatics center estimated at 14 million dollars.
Hundreds of athletes hitting the softball fields and stealing bases, all thanks to a 10 million dollar bond issue.
"I think it's about time, and I think it's a great thing I really do," Jason Fitzgerald, participating in the 32nd annual Snowball Classic Tournament said.
But getting the complex wasn't a walk in the park.
The original bid came in seven million dollars over budget.
"When the estimates came in for the construction of the soccer complex down there, and the softball complex here, the city knew very quickly that they weren't going to be able to do both," Stocker said.
Stocker said becuase of the bid, they decided to cut the soccer fields.
But since then, the city has purchased other pieces of land that could soon amount to new fields.
"Once that land acquisition is done, we'll proceed with that and be done in a year probably.'
For now, softball teams are breaking in the bats, happy with their new home.
"I think it's a great thing, we're always having to travel down south to play ball so maybe with all these fields and all these nice fields we can get teams to come up here," Fitzgerald said.
With 35 teams and about 700 people at the complex, it's sure to give a boost to the local economy.
"I love the new ballpark, really nice facility, nice fields, I like the way they run it," Colby Cooper, a softball player from Oklahoma said.
"Economic impact of events like this is clean money. It's revenue to the city and jobs and prosperity to the businesses. They go home and the money stays here," Stocker said.
The final cost of the park was about 3 million dollars under budget after cutting the soccer fields. The extra money is now going toward completing a family aquatics center estimated at 14 million dollars.
