From youth teams to the high school program, players across Fairmont have already experienced the benefits this area offers. The Fairmont Baseball Association hopes that this facility will not only help with the upcoming season but also provide growth and development for years to come.

“All of us have a lot of passion for baseball and want the kids to really fall in love with it as we have,” Fairmont Baseball Association President Adam Schmidt said. “It just gives us more months to do it. We have excellent facilities outdoors with Winnebago and Cardinal Park to use, and now we just have an excellent off-season facility to use.”

The idea of adding a new facility had been a goal of the FBA board for some time. Additional practice space would significantly enhance the existing baseball diamonds, allowing resources to be spread more evenly across all age groups.

A conversation with FBA secretary Ian Bents and Vonnie Cone – who, with Wade Barslou, owns RE/MAX Total Realty – got the gears turning for an open space in the city. Attached to the RE/MAX Total Realty building was an area in need of use after Fairmont CrossFit departed.

Photo by Jake Olson: Fairmont Baseball Association President Adam Schmidt prepares to toss a pitch during an open cage session this past Sunday.

“We were visiting about having a facility for a batting cage for the community,” Bents said of a conversation with Cone. “Knowing that some other community projects had come and gone, we were just looking at some way to find some positive momentum for our area youth and the baseball community.”

Cone and the FBA came to an agreement that worked well financially for both parties. After Bents and other FBA board members toured the potential space, the project quickly gained momentum and began to take shape.

“For RE/MAX to do something for the community and help out that way has been amazing,” Cone said. “We love doing community help, and this just worked out for everybody.”

However, the FBA still needed financial support through donations to complete the project. Schmidt said that while the association could draw on its own funds, outside support was necessary.

One of the most impactful donations stemmed from the Fairmont American Legion of Minnesota. After the FBA asked about potential help in the project, the FALM pledged a 5-year commitment of $30,000 in support. According to Schmidt, without the help of RE/MAX Total Realty and FALM, none of this would be possible.

“When we heard that the association wanted to have a year-round event where they could go practice and build a stronger team, they reached out to us, and we thought it was an excellent idea,” Post Commander Steve Fosness said.

The two other driving force donations came from Land Services Unlimited and Profinium Bank. Both companies are signed up for 3-year commitments to give back to the community.

Land Services Unlimited Co-Owner Leah Hartung mentioned their company’s passion for supporting local work whenever they can.

“We’re obviously a family-owned business and very passionate about trying to give back to the community anytime we can help keep kids active,” Hartung said.

Bents, who is also the President/Chief Banking Officer with Profinium, says the bank was able to use its non-profit sector in accordance with the new facility.

“At Profinium, we have a non-profit give back program that has really helped us aid some of our local non-profits and some critical projects that our area non-profits have had,” Bents said. “Our give back focuses on our community, and we also emphasize giving back to the youth. This project worked well, and kind of fell right into our wheelhouse.”

Contributions to the project went beyond the funding. Doolittle’s Carpet and Paint made an in-kind donation to assist with installing the new turf, which would cover the vast majority of the space and assist with baseball drills.

The facility has been up and running since February, offering “open-cages” on Sundays for all age groups. Since March, however, the FBA has expanded its services to weekday time slots in line with the high school season getting underway.

With the increased access and year-round opportunities, the facility is expected to continue growing the game locally. For the FBA and its supporters, the goal remains the same – to give players of all ages a chance to hone and develop their skills for future endeavors.