News

Miracle Field Selected as one of APWA’s Public Works Projects of the Year

9 / September / 2021

Miracle Field of Greater Kingsport has been awarded Public Works Project of the Year for structures under $5 million by the American Public Works Association (APWA). This award honors projects which “promote excellence in the management and administration of public works projects, recognizing the alliance between the managing agency, the contractor, the consultant, and their cooperative achievements.” This field was constructed by Visit Kingsport in partnership with the Kingsport Economic Development Board and the City of Kingsport.

Completed in April 2020, this facility is the first of its kind in Northeast Tennessee and serves the entire region, including Southwest Virginia. It is part of the Miracle League, a program serving children and adults with physical and mental challenges with the aim of fostering self-esteem, developing friendships, and providing participants with opportunities for team-oriented physical activity, specifically through the sport of baseball. Miracle Fields provide a place for special needs children, teens, and adults to play baseball by utilizing a rubberized field surfacing which provides a smooth and safe surface for the players. The facility can also be used by the Wounded Warriors program.

The field incorporates specific requirements by the Miracle League such as an open dugout design to allow for easy access. Several additional design features were incorporated for the ease and comfort of the users, including fold down player benches to allow flexibility in accommodating wheelchairs or other mobility devices, portable fans to cool the players, covered stadium seating, and an air-conditioned family restroom with a shower. The roofline of the building extends beyond the concession window to create a large picnic pavilion with fans and a speaker system for the field. As one of the project partners, BlueCross BlueShield developed a Healthy Place playground specifically focused on ADA accessibility.

Project Manager and Kingsport community member Jennifer Salyer shares, “This facility fills a huge gap in our community, as the closest similar field was located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Families no longer have to drive three or more hours to have access to a field on which their children can play. It was an honor to work alongside our clients, design team, community volunteers, and local businesses to create a unique facility, and we are even more honored to see this project recognized on a national level by the American Public Works Association.”

For more information about the Miracle Field or any other Kingsport parks, visit www.kingsportparksandrecreation.org.

 

Accepting the award in the photo above, left to right: Pat Breeding (GRC Construction), Jim Neal (Technical Director-Engineering & Technology APWA), Nico and Jud Teague, Keith Pugh (Regional Director APWA), Deputy City Manager Ryan McReynolds, and Jennifer Salyer (Barge Design Solutions).