Brownstown Baseball Association dedicates new building at park

0

For Gregg and Kelly Deck and Carl and Jenny Shake, being around the baseball diamonds at Brownstown Park is multi-generational.

They now have grandchildren and great-grandchildren playing there.

That’s why when they found out a new concession stand building was needed, they took advantage of the opportunity to provide financial assistance.

[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]

Click here to purchase photos from this gallery

It wasn’t done just for their family members who play or work on the fields. It was done with all kids and families in mind.

The couples have a history of contributing to other projects in town, including Heritage Park, Brownstown Pool, the weight room at the school and lighting for sports facilities.

“They have always been good about supporting the community,” said Brian Wheeler, president of the Brownstown Baseball Association.

“That was good they wanted to step up and do that,” he said of helping fund the $100,000 concession stand building. “The community has been good to them, and they want to give back, and that’s awesome. Without their support, we wouldn’t have been able to do this project.”

The concession stand was used for the first time a few weeks ago when the association hosted a tournament.

Then for the local league’s season-opening day April 21, the restrooms were finished, so the building had full use for the first time. A short dedication ceremony was conducted to recognize the Decks, Shakes and other project contributors.

In October, Wheeler attended a Brownstown Town Council meeting to get its blessing for the project since it’s on town property. The association, however, planned to cover all of the expenses because it handles the maintenance of the area with the two baseball diamonds.

The previous concrete block building had been there more than 20 years and had to be rebuilt a dozen years ago after a fire.

Several additions had been made to the 20-by-40-foot building over the years, too, Wheeler said.

“You’ve got old plumbing. You’ve got new plumbing. The wiring wasn’t in great shape,” he said. “So really, from our standpoint, the biggest need we thought to address up here would be a new concession stand.”

In the fall, Bane & Warren Construction demolished the old building. Because of the wet and cold winter, grading of the area didn’t start until mid-January. Wheeler said that involved raising the grade and making a hillside to allow space for the new 55-by-30-foot building.

Daviess County Metal Sales put up the pole barn structure, which includes an 11-by-30-foot porch.

From there, other local contractors were used to complete the project: Cooper Concrete Inc., Double Team Construction, Beach Heating & Air Conditioning LLC, Myers Sod Farm LLC, Brock’s Plumbing, AB Transport LLC and S&J Excavation and Concrete. The association received help from the Brownstown Central High School baseball team in laying the sod.

“You get local people to contribute like that, it makes a big difference,” Wheeler said. “We had really good success with the contractors, and our board had to step up and paint and constantly work on fixtures and bathroom stalls.”

The new concession stand has two windows with roll-up doors for security, compared to previously having one window and wooden-latch doors. There’s now a much larger space for coolers and other appliances and cabinets for storage. Plus, Healthy Jackson County provided a tiered stand and a menu board so healthy snacks could be purchased at the concession stand.

The back of the building features a larger storage area and a conference room. Umpires, coaches and other tournament officials can use that room to work, relax or cool off, and the Brownstown Baseball Association can use it for meetings.

Outside, near the handicap parking spots, there are concrete sidewalks providing access to the concession stand and diamonds. Restrooms with handicap-accessible stalls also are on the west side of the building.

LED lighting was installed inside and outside the building, making it more secure, and a garage still stands out back to store grounds equipment.

Even some drainage issues were solved with the project.

“It’s a significant upgrade. It’s a vast improvement,” Wheeler said of the new building. “Obviously, our goal is to bring more people into Brownstown, so our goal was to have something nice, something accessible. With the traffic, you have to have a newer facility. People, when they go places and pay money for tournaments, they want to see they are playing at a nice place.”

Wheeler said the association is well-respected for keeping the fields in good shape and the area clean. Having the new concession stand building as the centerpiece was the next step.

“That was a huge, huge deal for this park,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s Brownstown’s park. We hope it’s something we can all be proud of and take care of.”

Last year, around 3,000 people came to the park for three youth baseball tournaments. This year, Wheeler said four USSSA-sanctioned tournaments are scheduled.

“We host enough tournaments with people in and out of here, you have to have something that functions well,” said Derick Stuckwisch, sponsorship coordinator for the Brownstown Baseball Association. “If you don’t have a good facility, then you’re not going to be able to host the tournaments that you need to generate some of the money.”

Besides the tournaments and concession sales, the association relies on registration fees from kids participating in interleague games and sponsorships from local individuals, businesses and organizations to operate.

This season, there are around 200 boys and girls ages 5 to 12 playing on interleague teams. Practices started the third week of March, and games run through mid-June.

Wheeler said he plans to apply for a Jackson County Visitor Center grant to make other improvements at the park.

So far, the association’s board members have received positive feedback on the new building.

“You come up here and they say, ‘Oh wow! They are doing something right over there,’” Wheeler said. “That’s what we want. You want people to be proud of their facilities.”

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”At a glance” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

For information about the Brownstown Baseball Association, call Brian Wheeler at 812-528-5860 or Derick Stuckwisch at 812-216-6260.

[sc:pullout-text-end]

No posts to display