By Jennifer Edwards
The Cincinnati Enquirer

WEST CHESTER TWP. - A baseball organization has struck a deal with township officials to build a $350,000 ball field complex on 20 acres at Beckett Park.

After initially giving a cool reception to the proposal, West Chester trustees this week agreed to permit West Chester Baseball Association to build a four-field complex at the 150-acre park. Construction is expected to start in June so fields can be ready by next season.

The deal was made possible after corporate sponsors, including Schumacher Dugan Construction Inc., agreed to help pay to build the complex, including restrooms and a concession stand.

Trustees originally balked at the proposal because the association asked for construction money. In exchange for the free land, the baseball group will operate and maintain the fields at no cost to the township.

"This is a wonderful example of how members of the community stepped forward to help provide services and increase the quality of life in West Chester," Trustee Catherine Stoker said. "It's a wonderful asset for families in our community and for tourism dollars."

West Chester Baseball Association has 25 to 30 teams of ball players who range in age from 9 to 18.

The ball facility, which will be called West Chester Baseball Complex, will also be available to senior citizens, women's softball leagues, Pisgah Youth Organization, Lakota Sports Organization and anyone else who wants to use it, West Chester Baseball Association President Mike Hasselbach said.

It is not clear, however, exactly how much field time other groups will have with all the expected tournaments the association will draw.

The association is expected to generate at least $60,000 in tourism revenues this year from just one summer tournament. Most of that is likely to go to township businesses, particularly in the Union Centre Boulevard area a half-mile from the park, where restaurants and hotels have emerged in recent years.

West Chester Baseball Association, formerly called Basil Ballfield, must move later this year from its location off West Chester Road. The owner wants to sell the property for development.

"West Chester needs a first-class baseball facility," Hasselbach said. "There's over 12,000 kids who go to school in the Lakota school system and we do not have a nice, quality baseball facility. This will be something the township can be proud of and the community can enjoy."

Schumacher Dugan officials said Thursday they were happy to help out when the association asked them because it will keep the baseball organization in West Chester.

"We are going to do something for them. We might contribute construction services or dollars but we haven't finalized what we will do or who all else will help," said Larry Schumacher, president and founder of Schumacher Dugan. "It's good for Knothole baseball. I hate to see them get chased out of where they are."

Schumacher Dugan, a major Union Centre developer that also donated 10 to 12 acres for right of way for the interchange off Interstate 75, still is waiting for movement at a proposed open-air mall. It has a Georgia-based firm under contract to develop it.

In the meantime, Schumacher Dugan plans to build a 17,000-square-foot strip shopping center next to Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar, facing Union Centre Boulevard, company vice president Mark Schumacher announced Thursday.

The brick center mostly will hold local stores but Schumacher Dugan hopes to lure at least one or two national ones, he said.

E-mail jedwards@enquirer.com.