Long Awaited Berkeley Little League Project Moves Forward! Bayville, NJ
Description:
The Berkeley Township council last night accepted the low bid of $129,978 from Bellizzi Construction of Toms River for the purchase of a pre-engineered steel building for a new All Weather Practice Facility for Berkeley Little League. The township had previously bonded for the capital improvement for $100,000. Berkeley Little League will be paying the balance of $29, 978 as well as all other building costs, estimated to be an additional $325,000.
"We are excited for our kids and community that we can move forward with this project. It's been a long, strange trip to say the least. Our league has worked hard to overcome all the obstacles, and we would like to thank all the folks that stood behind us with outstanding support" said league president Bob Everett.
The facility will be designed for an open floor plan to allow for indoor batting, pitching and fielding practices. It will also contain a presentation room for meetings and training classes, as well as restrooms, a small snack stand and storage space.
Mayor Jason Varano added “Berkeley Little League does an outstanding job for our kids. It has been a pleasure to work with them to improve our recreation facilities. I am amazed at the success they have in not only raising funds, but in keeping costs down. I have no doubt that this will be another great success story.”
Tentative plans call for a ceremonial ground breaking on June 21, 2008, although significant site work has already been completed. The league hopes to take delivery by July 1, 2008, and with the building taking shape by early fall.
"Our league has the funding in place to complete the initial phase of construction, which is the basic building structure. We are still in the process of our fund drive to allow for completion of the interior and amenities. We have raised over $230,000 to date, with about $100,000 to go. The long delays have unfortunately caused significant cost increases" explained Everett. "Our third annual gift auction was held on May 17, 2008. It was a complete sellout and we raised a tremendous $40,000.”
The league’s next major fund raiser we will be a Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament and Casino Night, scheduled for October. In the mean time, they continue to sell lots of hot dogs at their concession stand.
League Vice president Harry Smith mentioned "A key aspect to our league accomplishing such grand projects is the support we get from our members, local contractors and suppliers in the building trades. We have already stockpiled some donated old stock and surplus materials. We gladly accept electrical, plumbing, HVAC and other supplies. Any building company that has surplus supplies may contact us; the in-kind donations can be a good tax write off."
For more information, visit the league web site at www.berkeleylittleleauge.org or email BerkeleyLL@comcast.net.
