By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor
The Cincinnati Reds, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, the Cincinnati Zoo and Duke Energy partnered on a service project Thursday at the Bellevue Vets Complex in Bellevue.
The day-long effort put some of the final touches on a Reds 150th Anniversary Legacy Project and led up to the dedication of St. Elizabeth Healthcare Field at the Bellevue Vets.
More than 250 volunteers worked on projects throughout the day, including:
• New synthetic turf infield and renovated outfield that will be home to the Bellevue High School baseball team
• “Palace of the Fans” backstop along with new dugouts, fencing and scoreboard
• Groeschen Family Press Box
• Army Spc. Russell Madden T-Ball field
• New playground, interior and exterior painting and landscaping
St. Elizabeth Healthcare Field at the Bellevue Vets was dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that began at 12:30 p.m.
St. Elizabeth Healthcare had more than 200 people working at the field Thursday and president and CEO Garren Colvin said there would have been more but the number was capped.
“Anything we can do to make this region, especially Northern Kentucky, a better place to work, live and play, we are all about making that happen,” Colvin said. “We’re just proud to be a part of it, and everyone here is smiling, you can tell this is a great place to be today.”
The Bellevue Vets field holds a special place in Colvin’s heart.
“We played on this baseball field – I’m from Northern Kentucky and grew up playing baseball,” Colvin said. “In 1974, we won the Greater Cincinnati Knothole tournament and played at Riverfront Stadium. A lot of the games leading up to that were here at Bellevue Vets, so there are a lot of good memories here.”
Nathan Skaggs, of Erlanger, a St. Elizabeth Healthcare digital content specialist, was doing some exterior painting of the Vets building. He said the project provides a great opportunity to give back.
“Not just as St. Elizabeth, but as the Northern Kentucky community, with Duke Energy, the Reds and the Cincinnati Zoo,” Skaggs said. “This is a great opportunity for the student-athletes, and I’m out here to just do my part in helping make this thing come to fruition. It’s already a beautiful field – theres a lot of work to do today – but it’s shaping up and I’m super excited to see what it’s going to look like at the end of the day.”
The Bellevue Vets field was one of two chosen for the $1 million in upgrades as part of Reds 150th Anniversary Legacy Project this year.
The other Legacy Project, Frank Robinson Field at Ross Park in St. Bernard, was dedicated on August 1.
Charlie Frank, director of the Reds Community Fund, said it has been exciting to see the community come together on the project.
“We are one of many collaborators…that have been working almost one year today, on bringing this new element of the St. Elizabeth Healthcare Field and the reconfigured space,” Frank said. “It’s been a pleasure and privilege for the Reds and the Community Fund.”
Sally Thelen, who works in corporate communications for Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky, said the company had 53 employees on hand Thursday, focused on beautification of the grounds, but that was just part of its commitment.
“We had 160 man-hours put in to take the old lights down and install the new 80-foot poles, which we don’t typically use anymore,” Thelen said. “We had to order some new poles in to assist with this job. Certainly some of those old poles had been in the ground a long time and gave us a fit to get out.”
The company was also able to facilitate some of the ordering of lights so they could get better pricing and the Duke Energy Foundation contributed a $50,000 grant to the project.
The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens provided the horticultural and landscaping support for the project.
“This entire community is also Cincinnati Zoo country,” director Thane Maynard said. “We’re honored to be part of this – at the Zoo we don’t have a lot of money, but we sure can plant plants, I’ll say that, and I’m proud of our team.”
The project has significant connections to two Bellevue families.
The press box at the new high school field will be named in honor of Tom and Leo Groeschen.
Tom Groeschen was a longtime Greater Cincinnati sportswriter who died in November. His father Leo Groeschen was a Red Sox draft pick and prospect before serving in the Korean War.
Leo was also a legendary coach at Bellevue Vets.
Linda Jager and Susan Brandon, Tom Groschen’s sisters, were on hand for the dedication.
Jager said the recognition for her family brings a great sense of pride.
“We had no idea it was going to be like this when they first mentioned it to us,” Jager said. “Just to know that our name is going to be in Bellevue forever, we all grew up here, we played here, my dad coached here. Bellevue people, baseball people, that’s us, so no better tribute to them”
The renovated T-ball field will be named for Army Spc. Russell Madden, who lost his life while serving in Afghanistan in 2010. Madden and Tom Groeschen both played ball at the Bellevue Vets complex as kids.
Cincinnati Reds President and CEO Bob Castellini said it was very important for the organization to include Northern Kentucky in its anniversary celebration.
“The Reds 150th-year anniversary belongs to all the communities within Reds country, but perhaps none more significantly, more deservedly, than these towns along the banks of the mighty Ohio,” Castellini said. “Their prosperity put this region on the map and their loyalty helped launch the Red Stockings as baseball’s first professional team.”
Other project partners include Major League Baseball, Pepper Construction, the Milburn Family Foundation, Marge & Charles J. Schott Foundation, Wild Horse Children’s Foundation, Nelson Stark, Glenwood Electric, The Motz Group, Andy Frain Services, Bricklayers Union Local 18, IBEW Local 212 Electric Workers, Local 392 – Plumbers, Pipefitters & Mechanical Equipment Service.
Terry Hatton, the eight-term president of Bellevue Vets, said it means even more that the renovation is being done with contributions from so many people, and partners, in the community.
“The Vets turn 75 in December and we’ve been doing this here for more than 50 years,” Hatton said. “It’s all volunteer-driven.”
Hatton believes the project will help breathe new life into the Vets, as well as the field.
“This field of dreams resets the clock and gives us another 50 years,” Hatton said.
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The day in pictures.
Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com