Waterfront Field of Dreams

Boyne City volunteers work to restore 60-year-old baseball field

By Ross Boissoneau | Sept. 2, 2023

If you rebuild it, they will come back. That’s the plan in Boyne City, where a group of dedicated volunteers are working hard to refurbish the Little League baseball field on the shores of Lake Charlevoix dubbed the Waterfront Field of Dreams.

“The goal is to maintain the tradition. It’s a special spot,” says Al Aown, a member of the committee working to reestablish the field. The group formed in October 2020, at which point the field that had served generations of ballplayers was unplayable.

“Portions were underwater, the concession and announcer’s box was falling down, you couldn’t run in the outfield because of the holes,” says Lisa Alexander, another member of the Waterfront Field of Dreams organization, which formed as a nonprofit. “We don’t want to see children lose the use of this beautiful site.”

A Baseball Town

The lease with the city specified that Little League could use the field for $1 a year, a fee which was waived as long as the field was maintained. The problem was that over the years, the number of volunteers who worked to keep the field in shape had dissipated, and the field had subsequently fallen into disrepair. “There was a risk of the city taking it back,” Alexander says.

The site is prime waterfront. Should the property be surrendered, it could become a waterfront park…or be sold off for development. Why not just let that happen and build or renovate a baseball field elsewhere?

One word: Tradition. “Boyne City has always been a baseball town,” says Aown.

Ever since the field was originally built, it’s been part of the fabric of Boyne City. Many of those on the committee played there themselves or had children who did—or both.

Indeed, one of the historic photos on the group’s website shows John Schmittdiel, who was president at the time of the Boyne City Little League, throwing out the first pitch at the new waterfront park in the early 1960s. His son, Dan, is now part of the volunteer board working to restore the field.

The hope is that not only will the field once again be home to youngsters running, pitching and hitting, but it becomes a hub for community activities. “We’re hoping to use it for concerts, public events, enjoying the lakefront sunsets,” says Dan Schmittdiel.

He says his father was the one who chose the lakefront location. “My dad … promoted the spot as a magnet for the community,” he adds.

What’s On Deck

The committee of baseball enthusiasts has a number of goals it hopes to accomplish, one of which is to make the final product low-maintenance so the field doesn’t fall by the wayside again.

To that end, they are planning to install new artificial turf. While the committee members acknowledge that it would have been less expensive to use real grass instead of artificial turf, the installation of turf allows for more and varied uses, as well as coming with the bonus of being practically maintenance-free. Schmittdiel says the turf choice opens the field up to softball, fast pitch, and youth baseball, particularly with the addition of a portable mound system.

Alexander says that is also a positive for possible use by those with disabilities. “I was recently in touch with a gentleman who asked about [players with] special needs. That’s a great idea. You can take a wheelchair” on artificial turf, she says.

Aown says there’s lots of interest in using the finished field, especially with youngsters, but also with potential adult leagues. He says installing proper drainage and turf means it can even be used when raining or immediately afterward. Another bonus: What maintenance will be needed can be done by the smaller pool of those volunteering.

The final iteration of the field will offer built-in bleacher seating, a batting cage, stadium-style dugouts, and a bullpen. The designs also include rebuilding the facility housing concessions, scoring and announcing spaces, and restrooms, as well as installing new lights. The existing scoreboard will be maintained.

The Bases Are Loaded

The cost estimates for the field have varied widely as prices have increased over the life of the two-plus years, balanced against the fact that so much of the labor and products have been donated. “The original estimate was $1.5 million to buy everything. We’ve gotten donations throughout the life [of the project],” says Aown.

As the fundraising co-chair, Alexander has hosted several events and opportunities to bring in the needed funds to support grants and community donations. The organization is also selling commemorative bricks, which will match the décor of the nearby city hall and pavilion. She says such efforts, including the golf tournament which took place in mid-August, spread awareness about the project as well as raising money for it.

Schmittdiel says the project is being divided into phases. Once the majority of the work is done, he estimates a retail value of $1.3 million without lights, or $1.5 million with the lights.

Which begs the question: When will the field be done? The turf is scheduled to be installed sometime in September, and the hope is there will be time for an inaugural game this fall, before play begins—again—in earnest next summer.

For more information on donations and the field’s progress, visit WaterfrontFieldofDreams.com.