Citizens and local leaders gathered at the San Salvador entrance of Riverview Park in North Augusta, Thursday afternoon, to celebrate the groundbreaking of the upcoming Miracle League Field.
North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams, S.C. State Sen. Tom Young and S.C. State Rep. Bill Hixon, joined the city’s parks and recreation department in launching the construction of the new handicap-accessible baseball diamond.
The project is an effort by the RECing Crew, a North Augusta nonprofit that offers recreational programs to children and adults with special needs.
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“I’m a big believer that every individual should be able to play in their own community,” said RECing Crew founder Pam Stickley.
The 22-year-old organization partnered with City of North Augusta Parks, Recreation & Tourism to develop the all-inclusive field in the park’s baseball complex. Its first phase will entail laying down a soft surface turf over gravel to help prevent injuries and accommodate wheelchairs, along with building fencing, bleachers and accessible dugouts.
The RECing Crew raised some $1.2 million to build the field, drawing the money from individual donations as well as from organizations such as the Georgia Rehabilitation Institute. Young and Hixon worked together to secure $500,000 in state funding toward the project.
“It took individuals… it took you giving one dollar, it took you giving $100, you giving $1,000,” said Williams, beginning the ceremony. “Some people did a little something, some people did a lot of something. But guess what happens when you add up all those somethings… you get a miracle.”
The organization is still raising money for Phase 2 of the field, which would add a pavilion for events, more grandstands and video screens. The total cost for both phases is estimated to be about $1.8 million.
The field will be available for any agency that serves those with disabilities, including public school special needs classes. Stickley has also noted that the Paralyzed Veterans of America organizations has approached the RECing Crew for use as well.
“I learned a long time ago that if you don’t ask, you may never know the answer,” she said. “And if you ask, the worst thing somebody can say is no. And so far, we’ve been very, very fortunate that nobody has said no to us.”
Construction of Phase 1 of the Miracle League Field at Riverview Park, located at 100 Riverview Dr., is scheduled to be completed within 10 to 12 weeks. Stickley said the RECing Crew hopes to use the field for its fall athletic program.
For more information on the RECing Crew and its continued fundraising efforts for the Miracle League Field, visit https://northaugustamiracleleague.com/.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
