Lowell baseball players have been given a “heads up” that they will have a new place to play in the coming years.
Community members may have noticed a sign erected at 12031 Foreman St. SE across from Maple Ridge Manor announcing it as the future location of a new sports complex.
The Wege Foundation donated the 20-acre lot of undeveloped property in 2014. It is currently being used as nature trails. The Lowell Youth Sports Foundation is the steward of the property, overseeing fundraising and all future plans.
Mike Minier is the LYSF director and board chairman in charge of the group which is made up solely of volunteers. He says the project has been in the works for years and is slowly coming to fruition.
The plans for the “state-of-the-art” complex include the creation of seven baseball/softball fields, a concession pavilion, restrooms, office space, and a 350-space parking lot. A walking trail will wind around the property and connect to the current Lowell area trail network. LYSF used the firm Progressive A&E to create a conceptual design for the project.
Minier, who has been involved in Lowell Little League for years, says the project is still in the early phases, and fundraising and public awareness of the need for the new fields are the main priorities. He says about 400 kids, grouped into more than 40 teams, are currently in the local district’s league, and they are required to share the four baseball fields at Creekside Park.
According to Minier, the league simply needs more ball fields in order to accommodate the large number of participants.
“To get all of those teams in and get them adequate practice time is really hard with the four fields at Creekside Park,” he says.
Minier says the new complex would draw in teams and families from all over West Michigan for weekend tournaments, which would benefit local businesses. It will also be convenient for local families to have practices, games, and tournaments held locally.
“A goal is to create a place not just for Lowell kids, but for all of West Michigan,” he says. ‘Teams come on the weekends and bring a lot of revenue to the town. They got to eat, they got to get gas, they got to go to Meijer.”
The Creekside Park fields will still be used along with new fields.
Once the complex is up and running, fields can be rented for $50-$150 depending on how the field will be used. Minier says another goal is to make enough revenue with the fields so that children’s participation fees will not be necessary or greatly reduced.
“After the first couple of years of getting this going and getting revenue coming in, we should be pretty close to being at zero (for the league fee) or maybe just pay for your uniform shirt,” he says.
The LYSF, which was formed approximately three years ago, has quite a bit of fundraising yet to do. The price tag for the complex is $9.5 million. Minier says they have raised approximately $200,000. The Foundation is seeking public donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.
The LYSF website says they hope to break ground in the fall of this year. Minier says he hopes to have the complex ready for use in 2026 or the following year.
Where are the plans for some softball fields? Seems like this complex needs some gender balance.