Submitted by Eric Johnson, Community Education Coordinator, School District of Spring Valley
SPRING VALLEY, WI – For the last 42 years, the Spring Valley Lions Field has served the youth baseball and softball program very well. The first 25 years of its existence, it was the primary field used for youth baseball and softball. About 15 years ago, we named it Lions field for scheduling purposes. The Spring Valley Lions Club built the concession stand and the Lions contributed to the youth baseball program through the years, so the name seemed to fit. Lions Field was actually built by several volunteers that saw the need for a field, so they jumped in and took action. Thank you so much Richard Johnson, Duane Nelson, Bob Thomas and everyone else that contributed to the original construction of the field in 1982.
As the years have passed, both the softball and baseball participation numbers have continued to increase and the need for field time has increased. Discussions over the last three years, led to a group of volunteers looking at ways to renovate Lions Field to allow teams to use the varsity baseball field and Lions Field at the same time. We decided to move the field about 50 feet toward the dam (north). Richelle Bartlett started researching potential grant opportunities. We received a $7,000 matching grant from the Minnesota Twins, which the school district matched. We received a $1,000 grant from St. Croix Electric Coop, and $3,000 from Pierce Pepin Cooperative. The Spillway ran a 50/50 raffle and raised $450 for the project. We also contacted our local Lions Club and the Spring Valley Education Foundation. The Lions Club hosted a golf tournament and donated the proceeds from that event – $5,000. The Spring Valley Education Foundation gave a $6,000 grant. Wow!!
The work began in August 2024. We contacted several local excavators and were unable to find someone interested in doing the work. I was complaining to a friend of mine that I could not find an excavator for this project and good friend Jay Richardson said, “Well, I could do that.” “Tell me more about what you need.” Jay donated his time, fuel and the use of his equipment. He also contributed time from some of his other employees. He took off all the black dirt, brought in sand to cover the entire field area. Brought in new infield material, and then brought the black dirt back to the outfield and re-sloped it for better drainage. The outfield grass is well on its way! We could NOT have done this project without Jay’s incredibly generous donation and expertise.
We replaced the timber backstop that had started to deteriorate, and we increased the height of the baseline fences to provide a safer field for players and spectators. In another project, a barrier fence was put up on the varsity baseball field to reduce the number of foul balls that go in the direction of Lions Field. Concrete slabs for the two new dugouts and storage were put in place just before it got too cold. Thank you to Jayden Hannack, and Excel Energy for the use of their concrete blankets!
Here is a recap of the significant “players” in the project:
Richelle B – Field Renovation Committee member, Grant writer
Kathryn M – Spring Valley Education Foundation Committee member – $6,000 grant awarded
Jay R – Donated extensive time, fuel and other employees time to excavate the new infield and outfield, Jayden Hannack – Field Renovation Committee member, John Groh – Spring Valley Superintendent of Schools
Eric J – Field Renovation Committee member, Project Coordinator, Scott Mathison – Spring Valley Lions Club member, Golf Tournament Coordinator – $5,000 grant awarded
The final part of the project that will happen this month will be done by our Tech Ed Teacher Jon Stimmel, and the Construction Class here at SVHS. They are hoping to find the time and a little warmer weather to put up the walls that they have constructed for the dugouts. This turned out to be a great project for the class and a great way for us to get this part of the project done. Thank you, Jon and Construction Class students!
Thank you to all that have helped accomplish this vision that the Renovation Committee put forth. Thank you to the committee members: Jayden Hannack, Richelle Bartlett, Jake Hoon and Eric Johnson. Thank you to the many kids and coaches that helped pick rock. Thank you to SVSD custodians Jeff Johnson, John Larson and Rob Konobeck for the time and efforts! Thank you to Brent Haglund, Advantage Excavation, for his expert consulting. Finally, Thank you so much to the SV Education Foundation and SV Lions Club for their amazing donations!
