Collaboration
A new collaboration between two local sports leagues and a group of concerned citizens is hoping to give people young and old a chance to hear that familiar cry of summer: “Play ball!”
The Jeffers Park Development is a partnership between Eau Claire National Little League and Eau Claire Fastpitch. In conjunction with the City of Eau Claire Parks and Recreation Department, their mission is to construct Jeffers Park, located on Eau Claire’s northwest side, to feature a five field baseball and softball complex. It will also include other park amenities, such as a playground, pavilion, and trails.
Inclusion
Inclusion is an important focus of the Jeffers Park Development. It will provide the first joint boy and girl playing fields in the city and expand limited access to current fields. The fields would also be the first Eau Claire softball fields for girls outside of Carson Park. Currently, the Carson Park fields are used primarily by UW-Eau Claire and high school teams, leaving younger girls with no home fields on which to play. The new fields would allow these younger ball players improved league and tournament opportunities.
Community
The project will also provide the Jeffers Park neighborhood much-needed access to a community park, offering a variety of active and passive outdoor recreational opportunities to area residents. In addition to individual volunteers, several area businesses are helping with the Jeffers Park Development Project. Ayres Associates drew the park’s site plan, Johnson Litho is printing project materials, and construction of the park pavilion will be led by Tim Olson of Royal Construction and other volunteer contractors through the Chippewa Valley Homebuilders Association.
Excited community members have started the Jeffers Park Development Fund at the Eau Claire Community Foundation to collect funding to make this project a reality.