Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Youth Development Park Ribbon Cutting in Richmond
September 27, 2011 | by: Keith Stanley
Last Monday I had the pleasure to be invited to the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the newest Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Youth Development Park right in our back yard; at the corner of 25th Street and Bainbridge Street in Richmond’s Southside. The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Richmond constructed a new little league baseball field using the Astroturf product. After the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony youth from the Boys and Girls Club were able to participate in a skills clinic put on by the CRSF Staff including Billy Ripken and the VSU softball team. The project looked spectacular and the kids really seemed to be enjoying themselves. There were even a number of kids just walking around introducing themselves to whomever was milling around. While the field was built as a softball and baseball field, I can certainly see the Boys and Girls Club using the field for much more, as the synthetic nature of the field lends itself to so many activities.
Timmons Group was a key player in the development of the project as Steve Hostetler’s Education Group designed the project and Gene Hatcher’s Construction Management Group helped ensure the project got built, in many instances acting as the General Contractor coordinating the work to be done. While I personally had no involvement in the development of this particular project, I was grateful to be invited and to meet the members of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Staff as I have been working on the CRSF Youth Development Park in Fredericksburg with the developer Thurston Companies. That project is slated to open for play next year.
For information on the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, The Boys and Girls Club of Richmond, or Thurston Companies check out their websites:
http://www.ripkenfoundation.org/
http://www.bgcmr.org/
http://www.thurstoncompanies.com