Last week, the Carroll City Council received some good news—that construction on the Miracle Field at Northeast Park would begin in July. The discussion was led by John Heim with the Miracle League along with Pat and Alie Tigges, who have been instrumental in fundraising for the field that will be placed next to the all-inclusive playground that bears their son’s name, Kellan’s Kingdom. Pat also brought forth an idea from residents of that area, who suggested the solid-surfaced baseball/softball field be moved a few hundred feet to an existing ballfield and backdrop. Following last week’s meeting, however, Pat says other neighbors began to voice their thoughts on that proposed change.
Tigges says the neighbors whose property abuts the park had some concerns about changing the planned placement.
Heim and the Tigges family say they are in no way trying to ruffle any of the property owners’ feathers. They just want to see the project through so it can provide a source of recreation for children and adults of all abilities.
The relocation was considered a benefit not only because there was a field in place, which could have aided with excavation and site preparation, but also because there are no trees where the existing diamond sits.
There are no plans to light the field at Northeast Park at this time. However, Carroll Broadcasting was present at a council meeting in December of 2017, at which the residents of that area brought other concerns to the panel. There was a proposal to close down city parks at night and one of those neighbors and former Police Chief, Jeff Cayler, described what was happening in Northeast Park at that time.
The Carroll City Council had factored this issue in when settling on Northeast Park as a location for Kellan’s Kingdom and the Miracle Field. Mayor, Dr. Eric Jensen, said at that meeting this placement would result in a lot more activity and more lighting in the park. In addition, the future plans for a trail segment would all come together to make this a less attractive location for criminal activity. As for the construction timeline, Tigges says they will begin with site preparations and bringing in black dirt in the next few weeks. They will also be installing a detention pond because of the large area covered in solid surfacing. Architects, Shive-Hattery, have designed the pond to take any potential strain off the 12th Street storm sewer system. The concrete is expected to be poured in late July or early August. It must cure for 30 days and then the surfacing can be applied, hopefully by the middle of September. Tigges adds he is just so thankful they live in a community that has supported these projects and that they could sit down with the residents and work out a solution in the best interests of everyone involved. And finally he says, they just can’t wait to play ball. A link to the story from December of 2017 can be found below.
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https://www.1380kcim.com/news/2017/carroll-council-seeking-alternative-to-closing-city-parks-earlier/
