Prospect Meadows closing in on fundraising goal

Prospect Meadows, the 17-field baseball and softball complex envisioned to be built near Marion and lure thousands of visitors each year from across the country, has met 77 percent of its original fundraising goal - receiving more than $8 million in commitments from public and private entities for the $14 million project.

For the past year, Prospect Meadows supporters worked on winning financial support for public fundraising, setting their sights on millions in state funding that - if awarded - could provide a substantial boost.

This week, an Iowa Senate subcommittee advanced a bill that would provide Prospect Meadows with up to $2.5 million in sales tax rebates over 10 years. Though it has a long way to go before becoming reality - it still has to move through both the House and the Senate and be signed - supporters are hopeful it could spark a 'domino effect” in winning grants and generating local, private donations that could complete the two-year fundraising campaign.

'It's been a long process, but at the same time, there's a lot of positive things on the horizon for us,” said Prospect Meadows President Jack Roeder. 'I think, if any one of these (grants) is approved, it would start a domino effect. It could really help. I don't think it matters which one. We're not picky.”

The bill would require the state rebate the 6 percent sales tax charged on tickets and merchandise at the complex, which Roeder estimates would total $1.3 million over the 10-year period.

Roeder is also waiting to hear back on a request for $2.8 million from Vision Iowa's Community Attraction and Tourism grant program and on $500,000 from the state's Great Places Program.

Since the fundraising campaign launched in February 2014, it has raised $3 million in private donations, $1.2 million short of its goal. In public contributions, the project raised $5.3 million of its $6.5 million goal.

But Roeder said the project will fundraise beyond its initial $10.7 million overall goal as costs have risen since initial estimates in 2011. For example, Prospect Meadows also will fund the construction of roads in and around the complex, but has secured a $1.3 million grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation to help.

Local governments have also chipped in to support Prospect Meadows, with Linn County, Marion and Cedar Rapids all committing a combined $4 million.

The Linn County Supervisors also agreed to allow Prospect Meadows to lease the county-owned land, near Highway 13 and County Home Road, for $1 a year.

'We've been pleasantly surprised, really, all the way along from the amount of support to the variety of support,” Roeder said. 'You can then go to the state level and say, ‘Look at the number of entities we have supporting this.' It's impressive to the people that we're dealing with.”

The 120-acre complex would include 17 fields to host local league play and weekend tournaments, drawing an estimated 60,000 out-of-the-area visitors each year for games, Roeder said.

Perfect Game USA, which is based in Cedar Rapids, holds tournaments throughout the country to help develop young baseball players and would be a tenant of Prospect Meadows, hosting showcases and drawing visitors, Roeder said.

That's part of what makes the project appealing to state legislators and local governments. The economic development aspect could generate millions annually in revenue from out-of-state visitors. Roeder estimates the project will bring in $25 million in new retail spending and create 200 jobs with an annual payroll of more than $500,000.

'Sometimes people label it as sports tourism, but it's economic development in its purest sense,” said Marion Economic Development Corporation President Nick Glew. 'These are types of projects we hope the state will continue to figure out ways to support.”

The project could break ground in the fall, Roeder said, but that's contingent on the state support the project receives. Prospect Meadows could be complete in 2017 and ready for play in 2018.

The complex would include a Miracle Field for those with special needs and disabilities. That field would be smaller and include artificial turf for wheelchair accessibility. The park also would be home to a league for low-income children.