Ball gets rolling on new Midlothian athletic facility

Village of Midlothian Volunteer Coalition Lisa Kopecko is co-chairing a committee to raise funds for new basketball courts and playing fields on school property in the middle of the Village of Midlothian. She says she wants a Mar. 14 gala to be a celebration of the entire community.

Sometimes, even when they don't know it, great minds really do think alike.

Jim Williams sought a project that fit the objectives of The Beth Williams Field of Dreams Foundation, the nonprofit organization he founded after the death of his wife in November 2006. Lisa Kopecko was equally eager to put her energy and organizational skills to good use as a member of the Village of Midlothian Volunteer Coalition (VMVC). Both found what they were looking for, ironically enough, in the same neglected, overgrown piece of Chesterfield County real estate.

Brought together by a shared acquaintance, Williams and Kopecko have been the driving forces behind a project to transform a threeacre tract adjacent to the Watkins Annex from an eyesore into a multi-use athletic facility that will serve the entire Midlothian community.

"It's a lot of work, but it really is a labor of love," said Williams, a local attorney. "It's a lot more rewarding to do this than it would be just stroking a check to the board of supervisors."

The current plan includes the following: renovation of one basketball court and demolition of another; a new backstop, fence and infield for the baseball diamond; expansion and improvements to the existing football field; upgrading the lights; construction of a walking trail on the perimeter of the property; and a picnic shelter for community events.

"Real estate is fairly at a premium. We want to take advantage of it the best we can," said Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation Director Mike Golden, whose department maintains the property.

Williams had firsthand experience with the Watkins Annex site even before he launched a foundation dedicated to building and refurbishing athletic fields in the county. He held football practices there when he coached in the Evergreen Athletic Association, mostly because the complex's lights allowed his team to practice longer as the days grew shorter, but he worried about the boys getting injured on the dilapidated field.

Likewise, Kopecko had watched her son's baseball team struggle to field ground balls on a rundown diamond at the same complex, and wondered why something couldn't be done to make it more playable.

When VMVC Executive Director Amy Satterfield called Kopecko and asked her to "get the ball rolling" on a project to renovate the Watkins Annex property, Kopecko thought it was a perfect fit. Only after discussing the plan with Will Shewmake, a local attorney and Williams' friend, did Kopecko realize that Williams' foundation was also interested in overhauling the site. Instead of turning the situation into a turf war, VMVC and the Williams foundation decided to join forces.

"Neither of us was trying to upstage anyone. We just wanted to get it done," Williams said.

Added Kopecko: "We had the same goals, so it was really a good match."

Both groups brought something valuable to the new partnership. Williams secured the services of Timmons Engineering, a local firm that agreed to perform site work free of charge. At the going rate of about $6,000 an acre, the site plan alone would've cost the group $18,000. VMVC already had raised $100,000 that was earmarked specifically for a project in the village of Midlothian.

They quickly got approval from Chesterfield County Public Schools, which owns the land. The county's Parks and Recreation Department was just as enthusiastic in its support for a community-based project it lacked the finances to tackle.

"I give the volunteers credit for taking the initiative," Golden said. "We don't have a pot of funds available. As budgets get tighter, you could see these things become more prevalent."

An alliance between the public and nonprofit sectors isn't unprecedented. A county resident raised over $100,000 to build a playground for children with disabilities at Huguenot Park. Golden called it "the best playground in the county."

"Government can't do it all," Williams added. "In a community like this, as blessed as it is, we can make it happen."

At this point, the biggest thing standing between the Williams foundation, the VMVC and a sparkling new park at Watkins Annex is money. Kopecko said the total price tag for the project is expected to fall somewhere between $350,000 and $500,000, although that number can be adjusted based on changes to the ever-evolving plan. The group is trying to defray some of the construction costs by soliciting local firms that might be interested in donating their time and materials.

"We would love for people to help," Kopecko said. "It would be great if we were able to get some Midlothian-based businesses involved so it would be truly a community effort."

Timmons should have a site plan prepared within the next 30 days, at which time it will have to be submitted for formal approval by the county government.

Kopecko noted that ground won't be broken on the project until the Williams-VMVC partnership has raised a significant portion of the needed funds.

"We don't want to start something and not be able to do it right," she added.

To that end, Williams and Kopecko are serving as co-chairs of the committee in charge of organizing the Midlothian Field of Dreams Gala and Auction to be held in March at Salisbury Country Club. All proceeds from ticket sales and the auction will go directly to fund the Watkins Annex project.

Williams is even putting a treasured piece of personal property up for auction: a 1964 Mustang that his late wife purchased during the latter stages of her courageous battle with breast cancer. Williams' father and uncle spent countless hours working to restore the car, which Beth Williams originally intended to pass down to her children.

His wife's dying wish was that, in lieu of flowers, people would make donations in her name to rebuild the football field at Evergreen Elementary School. Williams said the car would serve an even greater cause.

"It's personal for me, but it's mostly about doing something for the community, doing the right thing," Williams said. "I'm sure she's smiling, knowing that Mustang is going to good use."

For more information or to volunteer, call Lisa Kopecko at 784-0012, Jim Williams at 201-4365, or Charles Batchelor at 677-3504, or send an e-mail to 2009gala@MidlothianVa.org.