After more than five years of planning and the completion of the first phase of construction, the Carrier Park Field of Dreams at the Willis Carrier Recreation Center is set to officially open at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 21. All community members are invited to attend the grand opening celebration at 600 Roby Avebue, East Syracuse.
The ceremony will start with a procession of the District 8 Little League flags carried by local players dressed in their team uniforms. Exhibition games will be held between East Syracuse Little League players and Syracuse Challenger Baseball players. Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney is expected to throw out the first pitch. The event will also feature food, live music and family entertainment.
“We are so excited to unveil the facilities to the local community that helped make this project a reality through ongoing support and donations,” said Dom Cambareri, program director, Syracuse Challenger Baseball, and founder of the Field of Dreams project. “The Carrier Park Field of Dreams is well on its way to becoming the leading, all-inclusive outdoor multi-sports athletic complex in the United States that is designed for both the general public and special-needs community. It was built for the enjoyment of local residents and visitors to Central New York.”
The Friends of the Town of DeWitt Parks and Recreation and families involved in Syracuse Challenger Baseball recognized the need for an outdoor multi-sports facility within the Central New York community. Given the local community’s passion for all sports, Carrier Park will offer an opportunity for amateur and junior-level tournament play.
The Carrier Park Field of Dreams is located just off Carrier Circle in the town of DeWitt on 24.5 acres donated by Carrier Corp. in 2010. The first phase of the Carrier Park Field of Dreams construction was completed in October 2015 and included two professional-quality little league diamonds, two main entrance buildings and infrastructure to support up to eight additional fields and courts. Once additional funding is secured, the second phase of construction will include the creation of two “superfields,” which can be converted to accommodate different sports, and a third tournament-level little league diamond.
When fully finished, the entire complex will be fully handicap accessible and include 10 professional-quality little league diamonds; two championship-level, multi-athletic turf fields for soccer, lacrosse and football; courts for basketball, volleyball and tennis; an all-inclusive playground; and many other features.
The goals of the park are to:
∙Provide fully accessible fields that will enable the Syracuse Challenger league to have a permanent location for children with special needs to play baseball.
∙Provide a centrally located park for Central New York families to enjoy walking, picnicking and handicap-accessible playgrounds.
∙Provide advanced level athletic fields that will allow for tournament level competitions in little league baseball, soccer and lacrosse.
Upon completion, the complex is expected to draw community members and youths from outside the region, attracting visitors who will use nearby hotels, restaurants and retail shops.
Fundraising efforts to support the project, including the second phase of construction, are ongoing. To learn more about the Carrier Park Field of Dreams or to make a donation, please visit carrierpark.org.
