If you want to get something done, do it yourself.
That's just what a group of volunteers did in the town of Naches,population 715. They proposed a regional park to be called theClemans View Park and Sports Complex, and then built two baseballfields relying almost entirely on donated labor and equipment in twoyears.
'Here's a project that is working, it isn't falling flat. We'regoing to have kids playing there this spring,' said Joe Holman,treasurer for Upper Valley Sports and Recreation Association basedin Naches. The nonprofit group formed in early 1999.
Two more baseball fields should be completed by this spring,possibly in time for Little League baseball opening day.
The association has already remodeled the former Boot and SpurClubhouse, adding a stage, a fireplace and wraparound deck. At timesthe volunteers, headed by Jeff Ranger, a seasonal worker for theNaches ranger district, worked by the light of their automobileheadlights.
The association has estimated that its ambitious project willhave a $500,000 price tag, but Holman said the group thinks it canget the job done with volunteers and donations.
This summer, the fearless volunteers will begin work on:
-- two tennis courts;
-- an adult soccer field and two youth soccer fields, which couldalso be used for football;
-- a concession stand with restrooms;
-- a parking lot;
-- a small paved trail similar to the Yakima Greenway's paths,following the course of the Naches River;
-- picnic tables.
The trail and picnic tables may not be typical ball parkfeatures, but Holman said they will be important to this park.
'This is the gateway to the Yakima Valley if you are coming fromthe west side. This shows what the Yakima Valley is all about,' hesaid.
During the summer, the association will develop the tennis courtsand soccer fields on The Boot and Spur Club, which disbanded in 1999and donated the 18-acre plot of land, the former rodeo grounds justsouth of Naches off Highway 12.
Donors, such as Superior Asphalt & Concrete Co. of Yakima, havealready offered to donate materials and equipment for a parking lot.Coca Cola of Yakima donated scoreboards.
The association will raise money through clubhouse rentals andoffer the ball fields for regional sports events, as well as UpperValley Youth, the local Little League.
Much has been accomplished, but much remains to be done,association members say. Holman cautioned the project still needsvolunteers and donations. Work on the project resumes in February,and the target date to finish is next fall.
Dean Patterson, a county planner, said that the baseball fields,which are set on a 13-acre parcel, were approved in late 1999.Although the planning department attached a dozen conditions, that'sa good sign, Patterson said.
'Large projects like this often have many more conditionsattached,' he said.
