Northport Officials Break Ground On River Run Park

NORTHPORT, AL — Northport city officials gathered Monday to break ground on the city's highly anticipated youth sports tournament facility.

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Dubbed River Run Park, Patch previously reported that Northport Sports Complex Development, LLC. will be the developer of the new baseball and softball park that will be part of the new Northport Shore development that will also encompass Kentuck Park, Warrior Baseball, and Northport's Levee Trail.

The first phase of the $27 million park calls for nine competition baseball/softball fields, with the new park expected to feature two signature fields as the venue's centerpieces.

The signature fields will include a concession building and grandstands, with both fields being capable of serving as host sites for high school up through college for baseball and softball.

According to the River Run Park presentation given to the City Council, grandstands for the signature baseball field will feature 400 bleacher seats and 150 premium folding seats, while the signature softball field grandstands will have the same number of bleacher seats and 110 premium folding seats.

The seven other fields will be more traditional but with the ability to easily adjust dimensions based on the type of event being hosted.

Plans also call for a 131,000-square-foot indoor recreation facility that will be designed to accommodate competitions for basketball, volleyball, cheer, and dance.

Northport Council President Christy Bobo thanked elected leaders past and present for their efforts to get the project to this point, including former Council President Jeff Hogg.

She also cited a quote that said people are likely to overestimate the value of what they have and underestimate what they could gain by taking things a step further.

"Over the years, many of you have been able to envision the potential for Northport," Council President Christy Bobo said on Monday. "Today, we add another jewel to our city's crown that brings better infrastructure with it to our downtown district, along with the hope for increased community involvement as well as increased revenue streams. When this project is completed we will be one giant step closer to fulfilling economic development promises many of us campaigned on."

The new development will be in City Council District 2 and is sure to provide a boon to an area in need of new growth.

"For me, I was to turn this city into a destination spot not just for visitors but for our own community," District 2 Councilwoman Woodrow Washington III said. "We're gonna give our kids a place to play, a place to compete, and save the parents a long drive to another destination."

District 4 Councilwoman Jamie Dykes has been a vocal proponent of the sportsplex concept and referred to it as the "best thing to ever happen to Northport."

Like several of her colleagues, the possibility of a sports tournament facility was something she campaigned on when she won her first term in 2020.

"I am so thrilled about this," she told Patch. "This is going to be a catalyst for the city and the county. I've been involved in softball since high school and coached my daughter and I'm excited for what this is going to do. I'm partial to women's sports, especially softball, and when you've got [Alabama Softball Coach Patrick Murphy] across the river with a nationally ranked team, you've got to promote those sports. There has never been a project in Northport I've been more excited about. I think it will make us a destination city."

Westfield, Indiana-based EdgeRock Development is the developer on the project, along with SNAP Consulting — headed up by former Alabama women's soccer coach and former president and CEO of Tuscaloosa Tourism & Sports, Don Staley.

EdgeRock Development has a track record of similar developments, with Staley touting the massive Grand Park Sports Campus as a shining example of the firm's success.

"With this complex, the city of Northport enters the ultra-competitive realm of sports tourism," Staley said, pointing out that sports tourism is a $900 billion

Birch Dalton, managing partner of EdgeRock Development, was also on hand for the groundbreaking, saying the design is rooted in the history of Northport and its natural surroundings.

"With this design, guests will experience not only great sports but the the history of Northport, the history of baseball and the history of this beautiful ecosystem," he said.

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