Prospect Meadows drives home economic impact

Consider $14.9 million.

That’s the amount of money Prospect Meadows brought to our region just last year in new spending, according to a recent third-party economic impact report from Sports Facilities Companies (SFC).

Are you familiar with Prospect Meadows? It’s a dedicated baseball and softball complex in eastern Linn County that opened in May 2019. This unique nonprofit, public-private partnership all started as an idea. It’s now eight fields on 128 acres just off Highway 13.

Another big finding from that report: Prospect Meadows attracted 141,000 people from around the country in 2024, occupying 30,000 hotel rooms.

When I — along with our board of directors — saw those numbers, they verified what we’ve always known and served as tangible proof. This report proves that Prospect Meadows is one of our area’s leading attractions for out-of-state visitors. It shows that what we’ve built has value that extends well beyond our backstops, diamonds, and outfield fences. This is a boom for all of Linn County, including Marion and Cedar Rapids.

National tournaments. Regional games. Local play. Families come from all around to Prospect Meadows, drawn by the beauty of America’s pastime, but they stay for so much more.

That’s what makes Prospect Meadows bigger than baseball.

Spreading the Wealth

$14.9 million, 141,000 and 30,000. Those numbers reflect the opportunity Prospect Meadows provides. It spreads to restaurants, shops, and hotels. It strengthens our local economy by attracting out-of-state visitors while also providing a place for local youth to play, hosting more than 900 local games and practices. It makes Eastern Iowa a destination. And people are noticing.

Our impact has drawn the support and involvement of key figures in our community.

Our newly formed Prospect Meadows Advisory Committee includes prominent leaders like Pat McGrath, Duane Smith, Ryan Sweeney, Dr. Nick and Dr. Kimberly Morio, and Rex and Kathy Eno. In addition to commissioning the recent economic impact report, this committee serves to ensure our continued growth. Because when Prospect Meadows succeeds, our area succeeds.

Our long-term partnership with Perfect Game is a huge part of our current and continued success. The national scouting service has been our anchor tenant from the beginning, bringing more than 1,000 teams every year to compete on our diamonds.

Through citizen buy-in, community commitment, and public and private partnerships, we know $14.9 million is just scratching the surface.

Heading Toward Home

On any given day in the spring and summer, magic is alive and well at Prospect Meadows. The sun shines. A bat cracks. The crowd cheers. It might be a player destined for the majors hammering a home run or a kid on Miracle Field getting her first hit.

Miracle Field — a space constructed for special-needs players — is the embodiment of everything that’s right about Prospect Meadows. From the start, we’ve been committed to being a place where all kids play. That includes giving local youth the opportunity to grow — not only as players but as individuals through the life lessons they learn from playing a team sport.

If there’s one thing about opportunity, it’s that it spreads. Surrounding businesses, visitors, and residents have all realized the benefit of Prospect Meadows. It’s that commitment, success, and future potential that drew me to serving as Board Chair.

As our community continues to look for ways to boost our local economy, let’s not forget about what’s already working, just off Highway 13.

As we look ahead toward what’s next for Prospect Meadows, sustainability is key. That leads to tangible goals, including the construction of permanent restrooms and a finished, long-term parking lot surface. We know community support makes us stronger and ensures we’re playing and boosting our local economy for years to come.

That’s how we all win.

If you’re interested in learning more about Prospect Meadows and supporting our initiatives, visit prospectmeadows.com/donations.

Tim Strellner is chair of Prospect Meadows Board.