By Tony Sandleben and Mike Rhodes—
MUNCIE, Ind.—What started as a simple conversation at a Ball State football game between Ball State President Geoff Mearns and Dan Towriss of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation has become a collaboration between Ball State University, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and the City of Muncie to revitalize Lafferty Field at McCulloch Park.
Towriss, through the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and his company Gainbridge, made a “substantial philanthropic investment,” according to President Mearns, that the City of Muncie and Mayor Ridenour then supplemented. Ball State then contributed financial support of its own. All of this led to the $1.1 million revitalization of Lafferty Field at McCulloch Park becoming possible.
“When I arrived in Muncie nearly five years ago, I said ‘those collaborations can demonstrate that we’re better together,’” President Mearns said. “This is a very tangible, physical manifestation of that mantra.”
Discussions and planning for the project which will include a new scoreboard, a new synthetic infield and a new grass outfield and warning track among other new amenities when all is said and done, began in 2020. Work was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Friday’s groundbreaking signified the ceremonial beginning of the revitalization of Lafferty Field and a significant rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic’s hampering.
“This is one that started back in 2020.” Mayor Ridenour said. “COVID stopped it, and we were able to get it re-surfaced again. Last year, we began working on some negotiations to figure out how do we pay for $1.1 million. Between the three organizations, we were able to put it together. We hope it sparks other things here in McCulloch Park and in this area.”
Throughout his time in office, Mayor Ridenour has made improving the City of Muncie’s parks and green spaces a priority. He said this project reflects why such an endeavor is important to his administration.
Video by Tony Sandleben
“Parks are part of that quality of place that we’re trying to get as a community to both retain our current residents and get more residents for our city,” Mayor Ridenour said. “So, we know that this is part of that.”
Deputy Mayor Richard Ivy is the project manager of the work being done on Lafferty Field. He said this project is personal to him as he grew up roughly three minutes away from McCulloch Park. He also said this project can have a deeper impact on the community as a whole because of the wide use McCulloch Park gets by the community. Ultimately, Ivy said the hope is to see a return of youth baseball to the area.
“Baseball has been kind of nonexistent in the urban areas,” Ivy said. “It’s been an outreach of Major League Baseball to get baseball back in the communities where it started from years past, and they’re making a big effort from the MLB standpoint on bringing baseball back to the communities.”
The project, which has a plan of getting Lafferty Field operational again in June, will be the result of a major collaboration of some of Delaware County’s largest and most influential organizations in the City of Muncie and Ball State University as well as a national philanthropic organization in the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. Mayor Ridenour said not only is he happy that such a collaboration has occurred, but also that this project would not have been possible without such partnerships.
“When we are collaborating and when we are taking a long-term view of what is success, it’s expensive,” Mayor Ridenour said. “In order to make things happen—in order to make things BIG occur—sometimes you have to think outside the box, and you’ve got to bring people in to the conversation that maybe wouldn’t be part of the normal conversation. It just shows what can happen if you work together, if you work toward a common purpose and think long range.”
Photo by Mike Rhodes
