A softball field with a rubberized surface, larger dugouts, new bathrooms and a 17-space handicap parking lot are planned to make the park more accommodating next spring to players with disabilities. The new field will host the Dream Catcher League, for children with disabilities.

Dream Catcher League commissioner Sandy Donathan said the Middletown Youth Softball Association board, families and other children noticed the need for a way to get disabled children involved at the park. The Middletown Youth Softball League formed the Dream Catcher League with 18 members in summer 2003, and it grew to 48 players between the ages of 5 and 18.

"People see the need, recognize the need and now are doing something about it," Donathan said. "We need another diamond for the kids to play on."

The surface will be painted to look like a regular field. It will allow children, especially those with wheelchairs and walking devices, to move more freely.

"We would really like to have a field where any child with any kind of challenge could play," said coach and parent Nina Berry, adding that some children worry about falling on hard ground while playing.

"We're excited and totally supportive," said Verlena Stewart, Middletown's director of community services. "It's going to be a great asset to the field and to the community. The city is helping out the most we can."

Donathan estimates that the entire project, including the field, restroom and parking lot, will cost $200,000 to $300,000, with local groups helping with donations. Fund-raising, working with engineers on the site plan, and some of the physical labor is being done by volunteers. Kleingers & Associates in West Chester has donated site and building-plan work.

The Dream Catchers' fall season ends today, after a groundbreaking ceremony at 3 p.m. The new field is expected to be ready for opening day, May 7.

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