Meadville Tribune

Local News

May 10, 2007

Officials team up to upgrade sports complex

05/11/07 — By Ryan Smith

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

VERNON TOWNSHIP — "I’ve enjoyed my playing days. I don’t play like I used to, but I still enjoy it and I’m still involved in it,” says Dave Miller, a softball player in the Meadville Sertoma Club’s summer leagues since 1962.

And in his opinion, Vernon Township officials are hitting a home run with their plans for a roughly $375,000 project to upgrade the Lincoln Avenue Sports Complex, which Sertoma’s leagues and various tournaments have called home since it was built in 1975.

Vernon officials recently said they’re planning to use a $180,000 match grant approved by Crawford County commissioners under the county’s Growing Greener II state grant program for the project, which ties in to current improvement efforts already under way at the complex. Along with further upgrading the complex’s fields, township Manager Dave Stone recently said plans — now in preliminary stages — include using some funds to build an adjacent recreation environment with walking trails that could tie in to future industrial developments.

After 32 years of sports action and natural wear, the complex “definitely needs it,” Sertoma Club President Jack Thompson said of the planned major upgrade.

This year marks the first in two decades in which Lincoln Avenue will not be used for the District 10 softball playoff tournament. Postseason tournament director Tom Jakubowski recently cited the fields’ conditions as one of the reasons for the tournament’s move from the complex to Allegheny College and Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.

In addition to coordinating the food and beverage operation, the club provides softballs, pays umpires, does some field maintenance,

and runs the local league and actively markets the fields to tournaments that bring visiting players and their families into town.

The fields’ ability to draw dollars to the region will not only be re-established, but enhanced, by the upgrade, according to Thompson. “If (township officials) do everything they say they’re going to do, we’ll have the best complex in the whole area,” he said.

The only catch, township officials said recently, is finding the funding source to match the grant allocated by the county. Officials said a number of funding sources may be pursued, including partnerships with local industries and the state’s Community Development Block Grant and/or Brown-fields grant programs.

No formal board actions on match-fund plans are expected to be taken until July or August, but “we’re moving ahead with this project,” township supervisors’ Chairman Bob Davis said recently. “We’re going to do it.”

Ownership of the complex, which is located in Vernon Township just outside of Meadville’s Fifth Ward, was transferred from the City of Meadville to the township in 2004 after city officials indicated budgetary factors were creating difficulties in maintaining the complex. Along with its four regulation softball fields, the site also includes a two-story administration building, a concession stand, parking lots, picnic tables, bleachers, public restrooms and playground equipment.

The Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau has maintained in recent years that every outside dollar will turn over seven times in a local economy, and has indicated that tournaments that bring outside visitors to local hotels, restaurants and other attractions represent as much as $2 million to the region’s economy annually.

“If you really study economic development,” Stone said recently, it’s clear that “these are the kind of things that help attract and help to keep businesses,” workers and families in the area.

Stone and Thompson said the D-10 softball tournament’s change of location won’t impact the complex or its operations, and added they’re already in the process of making upgrades to the fields. Thompson said the Sertoma Club just had the fields crowned and are preparing to install new backstops and re-seed the infields in addition to rolling the fields.

Aside from that one tournament’s change of location, there’s still a full schedule of league and tournament events scheduled throughout the season at Lincoln Avenue, said Thompson. He added the ongoing and upcoming improvements to the complex will bring the facility in-line with the expectations of today’s players and spectators, which could bring more, larger-sized tournaments.

“We hope everything comes together,” he said.



Ryan Smith can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at rsmith@meadvilletribune.com. Some information from a recent report by Tribune sports writer T.J. Turrisi was referenced in this report.

Text Only
Local News
Business Marquee
AP Video
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs Expert: Removing LA School's Staff 'Appropriate' Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal $25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Poll

Mitt Romney has surged to major campaign wins in recent weeks. If he is the GOP candidate for president:

The Democrats are in trouble; he’s overcoming tough challenges now and learning from them
He will have no chance against incumbent Barack Obama
It’s too early to tell, but Romney would probably be in trouble
It’s too early to tell, but Romney should have a good chance against Obama
     View Results
Hyperlocal Search
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Popular Searches
Powered by Local.com
Stocks