Marathon Baseball / Softball Complex and Veterans Park
Improving Community Recreation Opportunities
Marathon City is finalizing plans for a new 14.5 acre softball / baseball complex, two outdoor basketball courts and a challenge course playground. The new location moves the park complex away from busy streets separating spectators and participants from high traffic area, provides added parking capacity and includes a pedestrian tunnel to access the Marathon Elementary and Marathon Venture Academy.
The new facility will also include two public pavilions, a maintenance / equipment building and the infrastructure needed to support the annual Fun Days and other activities of the park.
The Need
The current Veteran’s Park Facility is undersized for the needs of the community. At only 4.2 acres, the park has 1 regulation softball field, no playground, limited parking and no space to support expansion. Additionally, significant upgrades and repairs are required to the facility including seating, press box, electrical system upgrades, and scoreboard.
Nearly 500 area children ranging from tee ball to high school Varsity Softball utilize the current facilities. Over 550 games and practices occur annually at Veteran’s Park. The new facility would provide increased access for practice, games and tournaments.
Additionally, Veteran’s Park is located between two of the highest traffic streets in the Village creating risk in the area. While traffic markers, signals and signs have been installed along the Fourth Street Corridor, the commercial traffic and high volume introduce risks to spectators, motorist and pedestrians. The new facility is located away from the high traffic corridor and separates the areas of activity from traffic.
The current Veteran’s Park location requires the closure of multiple streets to provide additional space to host the annual Fun Days. Even with the additional space from the street closure, the carnival companies are not able to bring their full line of rides and entertainment. The new 14.5 acre site will provide much more room for Fun Days expansion and increases flexibility for event planners. The new location moves the park complex to an open area that will not require street closure and detours and will eliminate congestion on residential streets significantly reducing traffic issues.
The new pavilion facilities planned for the new park will expand shelter space, update cooking and refrigeration equipment, improve electrical facilities and create a centralized gathering space for Fun Days. These pavilions will also be available to the public for family reunions, graduations, showers, birthday parties and other community events/gatherings.
The new facility will feature a pedestrian tunnel and trails connected to the Village sidewalks along Spring Valley Drive and the Marathon Elementary School. The pedestrian path and tunnel reduce interaction with traffic flow and provides a safe path for residents and their families to access the new park.