Sports Park 2016

The sounds of children playing, sluggers smacking base hits, and the encouragement of coaches were music to the ears of dozens of adults Tuesday night.

Years of hard work and investment bore fruit in a special ceremony to honor what many Pella residents hope is a new centerpiece in central Iowa youth sports.

Fields of Our Future and the City of Pella welcomed all who wanted to see the new Pella Sports Park.

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Board members from Fields for Our Future, State Auditor Mary Mosiman, Former Vermeer Chair Bob Vermeer, Pella Corp Chairman Adam Farver, and Pella Mayor Jim Mueller were among those who spoke about the importance the new complex has on Pella.

Fields of Our Future Board Member Craig Wassenaar was thankful for the many who contributed to the project over the past decade and a half.

“This has been 14 years in the making,” he says. “I think about all the paths that we have gone down–some of them correct, some of them not-so-correct, but this is just exciting, it’s humbling, and we just can’t say enough good things about the city of Pella, the major employers in town, and the people that stepped up and partnered with us–what a fantastic feeling.”

Wassenaar was reflective during his talks throughout the ceremony and the moments before because of the amount it took to put the complex together.

“If we were to count the man hours, there would be no way to do it,” he says.

“Quite honestly, when I came here, I walked up the steps and I got goosebumps…this is just amazing.”

Matthew Patterson is a little league coach, and says the new facilities are a big boost to youth sports programs in the community.

“Previously, we were spread out all around town,” Patterson tells KNIA/KRLS. “It gives them a chance to all be together, to see the older kids play and get to experience that.”

The Babe Ruth field is named after Blake Van Vark, a Pella teenager killed in a car crash in February 2012 a few miles north of where the parks stand today. His family was recognized and among a group who threw first pitches. Blake’s father Wade says it was special for his late son’s memory to be included on an important night for the community as a whole.

“It means a lot to our family, not just because of what Blake meant to us and what he meant to the community and what we’ve seen happen since then,” Van Vark says. “Just to see all the people out here, the families, the kids playing ball — all the speakers had it right, this is a great night for our community for so many reasons.”

The Pella Sports Park will continue to expand with a number of projects remaining on the punchlist and tournaments to be hosted in the future. During the event, free concessions and commemorative baseballs were given away.

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