CORTLANDVILLE, N.Y. (WHCU) – Breaking ground on a multimillion-dollar project in Cortlandville.
Officials from the town of Cortlandville and City of Cortland spoke today, announcing Phase II of the Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex. A large concession hub, and two new turf baseball fields will be added, with the capability to transition to softball fields. Residents listened to a number of people speak about the economic and cultural impacts on the county, town, and city as two teams battled on the nearest baseball field. Over 30 teams are in town for a weekend tournament in partnership with PBR, or Prep Baseball Report. PBR is a leading scouting and amateur baseball powerhouse in the United States, hosting massive tournaments in multiple states in addition to all of their other services. Town Supervisor Tom Williams called the complex a dream come true, and spoke about the economic impacts. That sentiment was echoed by City of Cortland Mayor Scott Steve.
John McNerney works for the town of Cortlandville after retiring from his position as Director of the Cortland Youth Bureau. He helped oversee the project, and spoke about the value in having such a complex.
McNerney has an office on the complex. He said beyond baseball, locals come to the property every day, all day, to use the playground and eat at the food truck. It’s part of what Tom Williams said about it being a central hub for the community. In that respect, Williams revealed that a deal was worked out with Byrne Dairy who owns the adjacent property, allowing a trail to be put in that will connect the Lime Hollow trails to the complex. Residents, visitors, and both Cortland and Homer High School cross-country teams (they both also play their baseball games at the complex) will utilize the trails. Williams added that soon there will be public horseshoe pits and bocce courts installed, making it even more of a central destination.
If all goes well, the plan is to add more fields in the future, including multi-purpose fields that can be used for other sports like soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey.
