Miracle League field finds home in Vernon

Jun. 28—VERNON — The Northeast Elementary School on East Street will be the new home of an accessible Miracle League baseball field for disabled children, town officials announced today.

MIRACLE LEAGUE FIELD

WHAT: The Northeast Elementary School will be the new home of a Miracle League baseball field for disabled children, town officials announced today. The field will have a synthetic turf surface, be completely flat, and have wheelchair-accessible dugouts.

WHEN: The field is expected to be complete in about a year, town officials say.

The field will have a synthetic short turf surface and wheelchair-accessible dugouts, and will be completely flat and free of barriers to make it completely accessible to children with physical and intellectual challenges, town officials said.

The Miracle League of Northern Connecticut has been leading the effort to build the field, which will be the third of its kind in the state in addition to similar fields in East Lyme and West Hartford.

The organization had previously been in talks with Tolland to build the field at a location there, but the negotiations fell through last month. The Miracle League then turned to Vernon in order to find a location for the field.

"When Miracle League leaders approached us about being home to a fully accessible athletic field to provide athletic opportunities for children with disabilities, we were immediately intrigued," said Mayor Dan Champagne on Monday.

"Vernon is a recreational destination for so many. Adding a field designed specifically so that people with disabilities can join with others to enjoy the outdoors is something we fully embrace. This field is going to be a regional asset and a wonderful place for so many people," Champagne added.

Steven Leibowitz, president of the Miracle League of Northern Connecticut, said Monday that he is pleased to have the field in Vernon.

"We're excited to bring this field to Vernon," Leibowitz said, adding, "This field is all about letting kids be kids and have a great time playing baseball."

Town officials said that the Northeast Elementary School was selected because of its extensive field space and because it is close to I-84. The Board of Education approved the contract with the Miracle League at its meeting on Monday night.

Town Administrator Michael Purcaro said today that town public works staff will help prepare both the perimeter of the field as well as its drainage, and that the Miracle League will pay for the rest of the construction through fundraising efforts.

Purcaro added that the town is not expecting to spend a significant amount on its contributions to the field other than a few hundred dollars on needed materials.

"As soon as we were approached, we immediately saw the value for the children it will serve," Purcaro said today, adding that the field will serve not just children from Vernon but from the entire state as well.

Purcaro said that the town expects the field will be completed in about a year.

Vernon Superintendent Joseph Macary said Monday that the Miracle Field would help fit the school district's goal of helping all students.

"Creating this opportunity for children to experience the joy of sports fits right into our mission and we are delighted to be able to join with the Miracle Field team to bring this project to Vernon," he said.

Ben covers Vernon and Stafford for the Journal Inquirer.

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