Spectators at the Leesburg Summer Recreational League now have a new restroom and concessions building.
AkzoNobel Powder Coating, a company with hundreds of facilities across the globe – including in Warsaw – has a history of doing community projects, and officials chose to construct a restroom and concessions building for its first local effort, said the company’s site manager, Mojmir Mocek.
AkzoNobel contributed $23,000 to the project and company volunteers provided well over 217 hours of work to get it done, Mocek said.
The new brick facility now sits in the middle of several sports fields.
Carl Sowers, a longtime employee of AkzoNobel whose grandchild plays at the Leesburg fields, suggested the project to Mocek who then applied for a corporate grant to fund the work.
The offer was unexpected, but deeply appreciated, according to Carol Trump, whose husband, Bill, is the league coordinator. The Trumps work closely with Kevin and Rhonda Dishman to oversee operations.
“It was wonderful,” said Carol Trump. “We had no idea.”
Problem was, she said, each time the league would organize a fundraiser, it seemed as if an emergency would creep up and take priority.
“The parents have been wanting restrooms forever,” Carol said.
The restrooms are handicapped accessible, she said.
It’s also a huge upgrade for concessions, which in the past was operated out of a small trailer.
While there is still some small work needed on the building, Trump said the league was able to begin using the facilities last Saturday when league season began.
The improvements come at a time when the facility is seeing more and more use.
There are an assortment of baseball leagues and two girls softball leagues that use the fields.
In 1989, the leagues had about 15 teams. This year, the number of participants increased to around 40 and the league now has 24 teams, Carol Trump said.
A ribbon-cutting was held Friday to celebrate the upgrade.
