Twins Break Ground On Accessible
Ball Field
by Corley Goodwin
The
Minnesota Twins Community Fund, in partnership with the Carl and Eloise
Pohlad Family Foundation, Minnesota Utility Contractors Association
(MUCA) and City of Blaine (MN), held a groundbreaking ceremony on August
19, 2005 to kick-off construction of a new synthetic turf baseball
field in Blaine serving youth with physical and developmental disabilities.
Participants in the
ceremony included representatives from a Courage Center youth wheelchair
softball team, Twins’ ownership representative
Jim Pohlad, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, Twins pitcher Kyle Lohse,
and National Baseball Hall of Fame and Twins great, Harmon Killebrew.
The custom-designed field at the Blaine Baseball Complex will accommodate
wheelchairs and other walking assistance devices, while helping prevent
injuries. The field is being constructed with financial contributions
of $20,000 from the Minnesota Twins Community Fund and $130,000 from
the Carl and Eloise Pohlad Family Foundation. In-kind support, including
heavy equipment and labor costs totaling more than $100,000 will
be donated by members of MUCA. The City of Blaine is donating land
and will be responsible for field maintenance.
“This project is made possible by a tremendous collaboration
from the public, private and nonprofit sectors,” said Jeff
Hanson, executive director of MUCA, and a member of the Minnesota
Twins Community Fund board of directors. “The result will be
a one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art ball field in Minnesota giving
special needs youth from around the region a unique opportunity to
experience the joys of playing ball.”
The field is scheduled
for completion this fall and will be available for play starting
in the spring of 2006. For more information, visit the Twins Web
site at: www.minnesota.twins.mlb.com
