The Miracle League of Sweetwater County is still on the lookout for their permanent home, and is now considering the possibility of using county lands to make their dreams a reality.
Donna Tramp, the chairman of the Miracle League of Sweetwater County Board of Trustees, spoke to the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners during their September 17 meeting to explain the Miracle League and to bring up the possibility of utilizing land at the Jamestown County Park to build an accessible baseball field and a sports complex for the whole community.
The Miracle League is a local group with the motto "every child deserves a chance to play baseball."
Formerly known as the Challenger League, the local group started over a decade ago to give special needs kids the chance to be involved in activities like playing baseball. They have been playing on the dirt fields at Stratton Myers Park in Green River for years, but after experiencing some limitations with those arrangements, they discovered the nonprofit organization called Miracle League, Tramp explained.
The Miracle League has 350 fields throughout the United States which are specially designed with Americans with Disabilities Acts (ADA) accessible features, like turf that is safe for wheelchairs and walkers. Last year, Tramp officially signed up to be part of the organization, making Sweetwater County's group the first Miracle League in Wyoming.
The main goal of the Miracle League of Sweetwater County is to build a local, ADA-accessible baseball field. Their long-term goals, according to Tramp, also include having accessible bathrooms and an accessible playground. The ultimate dream is to eventually build a Miracle League stadium.
"We want it to be covered so that we can play in it all year round," Tramp said, adding that the stadium would be "open to everyone."
She explained that the goal is not just to have baseball for the Miracle League, but to make the turf and stadium big enough to be able to be used for practicing soccer and having features like batting cages and a track. Tramp also pointed out that this facility would be available to everyone in the community to utilize.
The Miracle League is already working on design plans and going after grant funding and community sponsor support, Tramp explained. But one detail potential sponsors keep asking about is where the field will be located.
Initially, the Miracle League hoped to build their field by Stratton Myers Park, close to where they already play. They even approached the City of Green River and the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Rec Board in March and discussed the possibility of building by Stratton Myers. However, the land they were considering is currently owned by the Bureau of Land Management, Tramp explained, and the possibility of the Miracle League being able to build on the land soon hasn't been looking promising. So, the Miracle League started looking for other alternatives.
"I would really, really like to see this project get started in our community as soon as possible," Tramp said.
After speaking with County Public Works Director Gene Legerski, the Miracle League started to consider the possibility of building on county land. Specifically, they started looking at Jamestown County Park.
"We thought 'how awesome would this be?'" Tramp said of the first time she and other group members visited the Jamestown Field. She pointed out there's already a field, a parking lot, and playgrounds. "There is enough room out there to expand and to build and to develop what our dream and goal is with our players and our children in our community."
The outdoor building would be visible from the freeway and would be an attraction to the community, Tramp pointed out. She also explained that being the first Miracle League in the state will also bring in new opportunities, such as eventually hosting the Miracle League Nationals Competition, and having a Major League Baseball player work with their group.
"What an opportunity," Commission Chairman Keaton West said of the Miracle League's plans, adding that "a huge need within Sweetwater County is sporting venues and additional resources for that."
"I'm kind of amazed at what you're trying to put together here," Commissioner Robb Slaughter said. "I see this as being a very grandiose plan."
While many of the commissioners expressed their support for the Miracle League's plans and their desire to see the project succeed, they also questioned the expense of the plan and the potential logistics involved with the idea of building on county land.
Responding to Commissioner Slaughter's question about the project costs, Tramp explained that the project could cost between $3 million and $5 million, and much of the funding would come from sponsors and similar sources. She said her belief is that if 350 other Miracle League organizations across the country could do it, they can do it here too.
Chairman West also raised the question of whether the Miracle League would want to buy or lease the land. Also, if the land were to remain under the county, he questioned who would be responsible for things like maintenance. Tramp seemed to believe the Miracle League would remain responsible, and said she was open to the county's perspective on whether to sell or lease the land.
Commissioner Island Richards noted that a lot of discussion will have to go into the idea as part of a broader conversation on how county parks are utilized, but in general he believes it's a good idea.
"Our goal is to secure a property so that we can move forward," Tramp explained. "I know this is a big deal, and so I just really wanted to present it to you guys and see if this is something that can work."
"I think in general we're all open to the idea," West said.
The commissioners agreed they would like to do more research and discuss the idea further, and Tramp agreed to work on plans and a more formal proposal to present to the commission in the future.
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