 If you build it, he will come. Now it may not be Kevin Costner and Shulis Joe Jackson coming out of an Iowa cornfield, but in Black Duck the community is coming together to put together a ballpark the town can be proud of. A project almost two years in the making is finally coming together as the Black Duck baseball field will have new dugouts, the softball field a new press box, and a shared pavilion with concessions, bathrooms, and storage. The cost of the project was about $125,000, but half of that cost was offset from volunteered labor and donated supplies from the community. It's really fun, it's heartwarming to see everybody want to come work on this project for the greater good, have something a person can be proud of, Black Duck can be proud of. I think it speaks really well for the volunteer spirit in our community and the people that have been willing to step forward and be involved, they want to be involved, they've contacted me and asked what more they can do. Over 25 people and 10 businesses contributed to the project, which is sure to improve the experience for players and fans and impact the baseball and softball programs for years to come. You have little league fields right next door to us, and I would like to believe that a lot of those little league players will walk by or bicycle by or drive by and realize that, you know, hey someday I want to play on that big field, I want to be on the varsity field. We got a real strong traditional Black Duck baseball and softball here, so it's just it's great to see their facilities continue to improve and it'll help the participation in the sport. Yeah, a lot of the players, their parents are very much involved in this project, a lot of players and two getting involved, so just great to see the community come together. Okay, and maybe I didn't catch it, but when is it supposed to be completed? That's going to be ready for next year. Next year, all right. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.