Dirt Work Begins on Holdrege’s New Field of Dreams

An open field on 18th Avenue is one step closer to becoming a field of dreams after dirt work on the new baseball/softball complex officially began the first week of May.

After endless hours of work by countless volunteers spanning several decades, the field is finally becoming a reality thanks to a partnership between several community organizations, including the Phelps County Development Corporation.

The City of Holdrege took the lead on the project in the fall of 2015. The four-field complex is being built on 13 acres of ground that was gifted to the city by the Phelps County Community Foundation. The fields will be just east of the Holdrege Elementary School.

PCDC has pledged $1 million in LB840 funds to help pay for the project. The total cost is estimated at near $2 million. The city has already approved issuing bonds to help fund the project and will seek grants and other fund-raising methods to pay for the new facility.

City Administrator Bob Rager said Ostgren Construction was to begin moving dirt on the field in April, but work was delayed until May due to the wet and snowy spring weather.

Once the dirt work is completed, Rager said city workers will install water lines, and they will seek bids for a company to install the sewer system.

Other work expected to be completed this summer includes installing lighting, fencing, sprinkler systems, dugouts and constructing the main building at the complex, which will include restrooms and a concession stand. He also hopes the fields could be seeded by this fall.

Rager said the fields should be ready for play for the 2019 season “if the stars are all aligned.”