With the temperature at about 86 degrees and bugs swarming around, supporters of a proposal to clean up and again use the former Glenwood School District baseball fields held their first meeting in the evening of Monday, June 8. Organizer Karen Baker wanted it to be at the extensively vandalized main field so that volunteers could see firsthand the challenges in making the fields usable again.

She said people from several surrounding school districts and counties attended the meeting, standing near where bleachers once lined one side of the field. 

“I was pleased with the representation we had from the different areas. That was a good sign,” Baker said. “A lot of energy, a lot of great ideas, I think it’s gonna happen.” 

The first priority agreed upon, she said, was to pursue the creation of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity, which Baker hopes will be called the Tri-County Sports Association. A board of directors also would need to be established.

The property is owned by the Centerpoint School District, but the fields haven’t been used in years. As previously reported by The Glenwood Herald, Superintendent Jody Cowart and members of the school board said during a City Council meeting on May 26 that they are interested in donating the property if the fields can again be used by young people for baseball and possibly softball. City leaders also expressed support for the proposal, although many details remain unresolved.

The district is legally limited to only being able to donate the property to another educational institution or a nonprofit organization. Cowart wasn’t able to attend the meeting, but said he later spoke with Baker. Creation of the nonprofit will take time and any transfer of the property would ultimately require school board approval. Cowart previously said members would want assurances that the proposal “was planned out well enough” that they would be comfortable approving it. 

Baker is moving forward with confidence that any issues can be resolved.

“We feel like once the property is deeded to us, if the school district decides to do that, that’s where we will come in with volunteers that we already have in place to get the fence fixed and to start building back things that are gone,” Baker said.

The fields were extensively vandalized in the years after they stopped being used. The Glenwood School District merged with the Amity School District in 1995, creating the Centerpoint School District. At that point the fields were no longer needed. 

Buildings for restrooms and a concession stand were destroyed in arson fires, as were the bleachers. Today, all that remains of the buildings are the concrete foundations, which were located behind the fence near home plate on the main field.

Baker hopes a new concession stand can be built near the Lakeshore Street entrance so it can also serve the overgrown fields across the street that she also hopes can be cleaned up and again used. The original buildings were located on the opposite corner of the complex.

The playing field itself “is not that bad,” she said. “I think it will be minimal to get it up and going.” 

The perimeter fence will require repairs, and both dugouts need work, particularly one that was also set on fire. Although the field lights were shot out, Baker said much of the supporting infrastructure remains intact.

“The lighting, just getting that cleaned up. We feel like the poles that are there are still in really good shape. So, of course we’ll have to have new electrical [wires] run, new breaker boxes. But hey, there are things that we’re going to be able to salvage and use, which is a good sign,” she said.

The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 6, 6:30 p.m. at Glenwood City Hall. Baker said several people expressed interest in attending the most recent meeting, but had other commitments.

During the most recent City Council meeting, Mayor Billy Plyler said restoration work would need to be completed by volunteers, while the city would need to develop a long-term maintenance plan for the property. Council members agreed that additional recreational opportunities would be a valuable asset for the community.

Plyler said a memorandum of understanding among the city, Centerpoint School District and the nonprofit organization will eventually be needed before the project can proceed.

If the IRS approves the nonprofit’s application, the organization could begin seeking grant funding. Baker said she has already spoken with potential supporters who may be interested because of the recreational benefits that restored baseball and softball facilities could provide.