Article courtesy Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government
A brand new baseball field made the Miracle League’s fall season a success. The resurfaced field, finished in September, was made possible with money raised by the league and a contribution from Lexington Parks & Recreation. Councilmember Jennifer Mossotti threw the first pitch today, the last day of the fall season, to celebrate.
The Miracle League provides children and adults with special needs the opportunity to grow and develop through the game of baseball. Since its founding in 2006, the league has played at Shillito Park. The updated surface will provide eight adult teams and six youth teams with a safe and accessible surface for playing.
“We had 23 memorable seasons of play on the original playing surface impacting thousands of lives,” Kevin Haury, Bluegrass Miracle League Director said. “We look forward to hosting and impacting thousands more lives on the new all-accessible surface and are so thankful for our partners from Toyota, the Rotary Club of Lexington, the City and the YMCA of Central KY for helping to make this happen.”
Councilmember Mossotti is excited to see this improvement at Shillito Park. “The all-accessible field is the only one of its kind in Kentucky. Through the invaluable work of the Toyota Bluegrass Miracle League baseball program, children and adults with disabilities from around Central Kentucky are able to play baseball in a fun, barrier-free, family environment, and not simply be forced to sit on the sidelines and watch.”
With a fresh rubber surface, the field should see around 10 to 15 more years of play before another update is needed. A sun shade and some small fence repairs are also in the works.
“We were so happy to contribute to this project,” Michelle Kosieniak, Superintendent of Planning and Design said. “The Miracle Field at Shillito is a special example of the importance of accessible playing areas. This league contributes so much joy to the community.”