Just How Much Do You Like Baseball, Marion?

Here's the numbers:

• 17 baseball fields.
• 121 acres.
• 120,000 visitors per year.

The proposed baseball/softball complex on Linn County land north of Marion could be a very big deal.

That's why the baseball/softball tournament complex being pushed by a non-profit called Prospect Meadows is being given the fast track treatment this Wednesday. On Wednesday, the Linn County Supervisors will vote to either approve a lease for the land or vote it down.

According to an article in The Gazette, there seems to be a decent possibility it will pass.

“I know it’s something our community is looking forward to,” Brent Oleson, Linn County Supervisor representing Marion, told The Gazette.

At a public hearing on the subject last Monday, the supervisors received no complaints for the project.

On Wednesday, the supervisors will be voting for a 20-year lease immediately followed by three different 25-year lease options. The initial lease would amount to $1 per year.

If you do the math, that's a little less than 1 cent per acre.

Pending approval from the board, Prospect Meadows' project could break ground as early as this year, but that depends on whether or not funding comes through.

"I wouldn’t say that’s out of the question to have some earthwork in 2012, but at this point I don’t think we know," said Roeder, according to a separate article in The Gazette. "Having this piece of the puzzle put together this allows us to go to some other phases."

Stay tuned for coverage of tomorrow's Linn County Supervisor Meeting.