Funding

The city of Westminster has started construction on a new multimillion-dollar outdoor recreation complex that officials hope can lead to future growth.Mayor Brian Ramey said Thursday the Hall Road complex has a total cost of more than $8.5 million.”We hope this is going to be a catalyst,” Ramey said. “It’s going to help Westminster grow. Growth is key for any small town, especially when our size. We’re at that size right now that it’s hard to afford a full staff, police and fire departments.”Ramey said five baseball fields, night lighting, concession stands and restrooms are included in the first phase of the project. “We’ve already had four or five travel ball teams or organizations contact us,” Ramey said. “They’re looking for places to play, and if you’ve followed travel ball, you know that you spend a lot of time, full weekends, in these areas.”Additional features such as basketball courts, pickleball courts, and walking trails are being proposed for future expansion. “There’s really nothing to really bring people from our area of the state into Westminster. Recreation does,” Ramey said. “That’s one thing. We have about 1,000 participants here in one year in this little town, and it brings people from all over to come and watch the kids play ball.”The project is paid for mostly through state funding and private donations, according to Ramey, with the city providing “very little” of the total cost. The city has a total population of around 2,500, Ramey said.”Small towns you don’t have the money to do this. You have to have outside investment,” Ramey said.The mayor added it is not unusual for some children in the area to be practicing baseball at 7 and 8 p.m. “Some of the 12 and under, 14 and under kids, they’re they’re running late practices, and this is on school nights, and it’s mainly because we just don’t have enough fields,” Ramey said. The complex is being built in front of where Charles James lives. “You see that all that over there, which is the old one. You think that’s impressive, but then you see what’s going to be built out there, and it’s hard to even wrap your head around it,” James said.James also expressed concern over the night lighting and potential for noise pollution but said the project could be good for the city.”I can understand not liking noise, but at the same time, the money it will bring, the culture it will bring, there are so many other fringe benefits to it,” he said.The mayor hopes the complex is a hit with people and said the fields could be ready for play in late spring.”I hope we have to buy more land for parking. I do. I just hope it fills up with people,” Ramey said.