The City of Spartanburg and the Harry Dallara Foundation recently held a groundbreaking ceremony at Duncan Park to celebrate the renovation of two youth ballfields along W Park Dr. within the park.
Plans for the ballfields include: new grass and irrigation, new lighting and fencing, and improved dugouts for the players. New bleachers and shade structures will also be added for spectators. Additionally, the concessions area and restrooms will be modernized and updated, and a new plaza area will be constructed.
Along with physical improvements to the athletic fields, the project will also include installation of a special bas-relief plaque honoring the Spartanburg Sluggers, the Negro League team who played at Duncan Park for nearly three decades.
The project will bring another round of improvements to Duncan Park enhancing athletic facilities for those living in the neighborhoods surrounding the park and throughout Spartanburg. These enhancements mark the next phase of the Duncan Park improvement plan, which so far has included trails enhancements, invasive species removal, and the opening of Duncan Park lake to non-motorized boating and fishing.
The groundbreaking ceremony will be led by City Parks, Recreation & Special Events Director, Kim Brown, and will feature comments from Mayor Jerome Rice, Charles Dallara, Chair of The Harry Dallara Foundation, Mitch Kennedy, Deputy City Manager, Luther Norman, Leader of The Spartanburg County Foundation’s Youth Sports Bureau and Molly Talbot-Metz, CEO of Mary Black Foundation.
Regarding the field improvements, Mayor Rice offered, “I’m excited to see this new project to promote youth baseball at Duncan Park. I see this as a significant complement to our important project in the Grain District, to build a stadium for the Hub City Spartanburgers. This will create the real possibility that, in the years to come, young athletes who learn baseball at Duncan Park will one day play for the Spartanburgers.”
Mr. Dallara added, “The Harry Dallara Foundation is proud to be associated with this initiative to strengthen the youth baseball program for all boys and girls in the city. Harry Dallara, a dedicated resident of Spartanburg, would be proud at the prospect of greater engagement in baseball for the youth around Duncan Park, including minority youth.”
Written by OneSpartanburg, Inc.