Baseball, softball complex is worth supporting

What if one project could help fulfill the summertime aspirations of thousands of Corridor kids, provide an inclusive recreation venue for people with disabilities, advance the social skills of many disadvantaged youngsters, and have a profound effect on the local economy? That would be a project worth supporting.

Under the leadership of Jack Roeder, Prospect Meadows will be a 17-field baseball and softball Linn County complex in a prime location near the intersection of Highway 13 and County Home Road. The complex will accomplish all of the objectives listed above. Simultaneously, it will be a community gathering place that puts our region on the map for thousands of individuals from the Midwest and across the county.

Here are the facts:

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Ball fields for all levels of play are difficult to find in the area because of numerous leagues. Prospect Meadows will help solve that problem.

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Prospect Meadows will work with the Cedar Rapids Kernels to expand the Al Smith League of Dreams for under-advantaged boys and girls. The skills young people learn there are not only athletic; players also cultivate a variety of lifetime 'soft skills” associated with social interactions, leadership, respect and teamwork.

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The Miracle Field will make this venue truly inclusive, allowing people with disabilities and their family and friends to be part of the action, right in the middle of all the other fields.

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Perfect Game USA, based in Cedar Rapids, is the largest baseball scouting organization in the world. Our strong partnership with that organization guarantees a consistent sequence of tournaments in which thousands of aspiring athletes and their families and friends will visit the area. The economic impact is enormous: More than 60,000 visitors (mostly from out of state) each year will engender 80,000 hotel room nights. These folks will enjoy the rich array of retail services here. This is not guesswork; it has been verified by the Convention and Visitors Bureau analysis. Perfect Game's rental of this facility assures the operational viability of the project.

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The advent and use of a nationally known complex of this quality and scope will help all of the objectives outlined by the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and its focus on jobs and the economy. Prospect Meadows will assist our region's efforts to recruit qualified workers for our dynamic industries.

This will be another special venue for the community, a prime example of public-private-nonprofit partnerships that must occur to spur growth that propels our area ahead of others.

We already have phenomenal support, including lead donors Transamerica, Hall & Hall Engineers, and Perfect Game USA. We've raised more than $2.7 million of our $4.2 million private goal. Please spread the word on this initiative and consider supporting it at www.prospectmeadows.com.

' Dick Meisterling and Tim Strellner are capital campaign co-chairs for the Prospect Meadows project. Comments: www.prospectmeadows.com/contact