Baseball complex was once only a dream

By C. Scott Holland

LEAMINGTON — It took many years — and by the time it was completed — a decade had passed. Such were the plans for Leamington having a baseball complex.

Initial plans for a baseball complex began surfacing in the mid-1960s. However no real action was taken until 1972, when the Leamington Minor Baseball Association found acquisition of diamonds was one thing, but maintenance was another.

For so many years, teams had played on various school diamonds as well as the one at Seacliff Park, Mersea Park and the couple at the Fairgrounds. Each was different and some families with several young ball players might travel all over, ferrying the youngsters from one site to another.

In September of 1972, the H. J. Heinz Co. of Canada Ltd., along with Leamington’s Town Council and the LDMBA, came to an agreement whereby the food industry giant would donate 20 acres of land it owned facing Concession 1, so that it could be transformed into a baseball/sports complex. The transaction was completed for the nominal cost of $1.

At the time, Leamington Mayor Ralph Nicol praised the company and said, “They (Heinz) are an outstanding corporate citizen, who are at the forefront of this community’s betterment.”

Nicol indicated further how the Heinz Co. had generously donated time, materials and labour for both Leamington District Memorial Hospital and the Leamington and District Agriculture Recreation Centre.

LDMBA president Dean Palmer stated that the 20-acre site was 1,200 ft. deep and ran from the Penn Central tracks to the Curling Club, and a total of seven diamonds plus a parking lot, concession stand and service building, would be erected over a five year period.

Eventually, the complex would have nine diamonds, but in the 1990s the northern two were discontinued and turned into part of the subdivision to the north.

The dugouts at the Leamington Minor Baseball Complex take shape in 1975.

Photo from the Scott Holland Collection

A unique part of the signed agreement indicated that that the Heinz Co. would have a 50- year option on that land to be returned if the company ever felt it could be used for factory expansion.

If that did occur (fortunately it did not), the company and LDMBA would find a suitable tract of land which the Heinz Co. would purchase and turn into a similar complex, and the complex would bear all expenses.

For the 1972 baseball season, LDMBA operated 21 house league teams with an additional four all-star squads. Over 400 players were enrolled.

A breakdown of the individual costs were: service building $32,000; driveway/access creation $21,500; chain-link fencing $20,700; bleachers/dugouts $15,000; drainage $10,500; site preparation and drainage $8,300; contingencies $6,000; seeding $4,400 and landscaping $650.

It was hoped to have a couple diamonds ready for the start of the 1973 season, but adverse weather conditions prevented that and the diamonds were not used until 1974.

However, by 1975, the complex was finished, and during the following years, improvements were made. Later, the unused land to the east would become an area for soccer, and more recently, the town installed a skateboard layout on its southern side.

Much of the fundraising was done by Leamington’s Kinsmen Club and the baseball men involved with the dream: Bill Ardiel, Bill Bakes, Larry Balkwill, Bill Bowden, Bill Brown, Bill Campbell, Jim Cudmore, Bill Derbyshire, Bob Derbyshire, Tony Duncan, Warren Dunford, John Garton Sr., Bob Johnston, John MacKinnon, Bill Manery, Roland Martens, Charles Miller, Terry Misener, Bob Mullen, Cliff Quick, Neil Quick, Paul Oulahen, Dean Palmer, John Penner, Carl Ribble, Bill Setterington, Milan Sivak, Jack Stevenson, Ralph Tippett, Claire Towle, Mike Vorkapich, Henry Wheeler, and Cecil Wickham.

In a few short years that outstanding complex will turn 50 and has been a hub of baseball activity for several generations of Leamington youngsters.