On June 10 the Hannibal Baseball Association held a dedication of the new ballfield located at the Hannibal Locks and Dam. The ceremony preceded the final regular season game of the 11-12-year-old Hannibal team as they played the Tyler Knights.

The field has been four years in the making as the association contacted the Corps of Engineers about a lease agreement in 2006. Brenda Miracle said the Corps, Lockmaster Dave Walters, and the Ohio Township Trustees were very helpful in making the field a reality.

Corps Col. Michael Crall commended Walters, calling him a role model, for his persistence on the project-the type that could easily fall into inactivity. However, he said a project like this is exactly the kind of thing the Corp. should support. “This is your land-taxpayer land,” he said.

Miracle explained that an adjacent girls softball field is also in the process of being developed. They have planned a soccer/football field combination and hope to have a township walkway trail around the perimeter of the complex.

Altogether, the Ohio Township Trustees have leased 9.6 acres. The project has been financed entirely through private donations. “We do have some very generous businesses and individuals who have donated to his project,” explained Miracle.