TREVOR MCDONALD/COURIER-POSTMike Jeffries, a volunteer and Northeast Power employee, smooths gravel out for the parking lot near the new concessions/office building at Bear Creek Sports Park. Donations and volunteer work from throughout the community made the project possible.

Hannibal, Mo.- The first full week of April at Bear Creek Sports Park brought back the familiar sounds of baseball and softball teams getting ready for their first games. The athletes and their relatives will be able to grab a snack or drink more easily this year, thanks to a new concessions and office building.

The concessions stand was in operation and selling cold snacks and beverages, thanks to countless hours of volunteer work and numerous donations throughout the community. After discovering a looming sewer issue at the old concessions building, Park Board members decided a new, centrally-located building would serve as the best option for everyone who came out to play or watch games. As the building’s completion drew near, future plans would focus on accessibility throughout the park, with over 1,000 feet of walkways connecting the concessions area to each field, Park Board Manager Dusty Wilson said.

Wilson and fellow volunteers worked through the fall and winter to make sure the new building was ready for softball and baseball season. Wilson said the exterior of the building was 99 percent complete, and some detail work remained inside, like installing base trim and partitions in the restrooms.

On Saturday, April 9, Northeast Power employee Mike Jeffries used a boom lift to hook electricity up for the lights on Field 4. Jeffries also used an end loader to smooth out a new gravel parking lot near the building.

“These guys at Northeast Power have been super to us,” Wilson said.

He expressed thanks for all of the volunteers, donors, organizations and businesses that contributed to a successful new facility with a spacious concessions area, office, delivery area and modern restrooms. Board Vice President Keith Long worked alongside Wilson to keep the project moving forward, Prestige Realty donated the cabinets inside, local electrical union members installed wiring and electrical fixtures and Economy Plumbing took care of the plumbing installation. Overhead Door provided a large delivery door and a pull-down cover for the concession area windows, and Lomax Trucking donated rock. Big River Heating and Cooling, Central Stone, Springfield Electric, the Riedel Foundation, Rotary Club, General Mills and Lowe’s also provided donations for the project, and James O’Donnell and Midwest Railroad provided t-shirts for the teams.

Thanks to the lighting for Field 4 and the new building, Bear Creek Sports Park welcomed teams from Center, New London, Palmyra and Perry to play at the park for 2016 — which also opened the door for local teams to play in neighboring communities, Wilson said.

Wilson said the building’s cost would have been “astronomical” without the outpouring of local support and labor for construction and installation tasks. He said the new building marked a “huge step” for the park, as board members looked to the future and boosting accessibility with the proposed walkways.

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