ROGERS -- Aldermen and city officials met Tuesday, before the council meeting, to discuss establishing a Miracle League in the city.
Gary Townzen, alderman, the driving force behind the push for the Miracle League, asked aldermen Bob Goodwin, Betsy Reithemeyer and Marge Wolf to participate in the meeting with Greg Hines, mayor, Barney Hayes, park director, Andrea Brinton, assistant park director and David Hook, facilities management director.
At A Glance
Council Action
Rogers’ City Council met Tuesday and approved:
• A request from the Police Department to use $8,000 from ICE forfeitures to purchase a new forensic computer and software
• The final plat of the six-lot Hidden Acres subdivision
Source: Staff Report
"I have a suggestion that may cost a little more money," Hook said. "I propose we build an indoor Miracle field that could also serve as multi-use building for other events for handicapped children.
Miracle League is designed for handicapped children and adults. It gives them the opportunity to participate in sports at their level, whatever that might be, Townzen said.
There's a Miracle League outdoor field in Springdale, Hines said.
"I don't see any reason to duplicate what Springdale already has. We need to do something different to fill a gap in Northwest Arkansas. The Interstate 49 corridor is region. We don't all have to have an aquatic center or a minor league baseball field in each city, that doesn't make any sense," Hines said.
An indoor field would allow for more activities, such as basketball, volleyball, badminton, as well as softball, Hines added.
"It would fill a gap that all of Northwest Arkansas could use.
The Springdale Miracle League plays a seven-week schedule in the spring and a second seven week schedule in the fall, Hook said.
"These kids can be out in the hot sun. The field are used 14 weeks a year and closed the rest of the year. An indoor facility could extend the season or as the mayor said be used for a variety of other handicapped sports," Hook said.
Normally a Miracle field is build on public land with private money then maintained by the city, Hayes said.
"I talked with the folks in Springdale this afternoon. They told me the Springdale Rotary Club raised the $800,000 for the field and the program is run by volunteers," Hayes said.
Townzen pointed out the Miracle League of Arkansas office in Little Rock helps with fund raising so there would be very little for the city to do but donate land at Mount Hebron Park on the southwest side of the city.
Group members agreed the next step would be to talk to Peggy McCall, executive director of the Miracle League of Arkansas, to get some additional information.
"Surely we are not the only city to build and indoor Miracle League field. McCall probably can get us in touch with other cities so we can find out what's worked in the past and the cost of an indoor field," Hines said.
Once city officials have more information they plan to invited the Springdale Miracle League officials, the Sunshine School and other interested parties in for a discussion to determine the need for an indoor field.
"I think the Miracle League facility in Rogers is an excellent idea," Wolf said at the conclusion of the meeting.
NW News on 04/23/2014