ARTICLE FROM FLORIDA TODAY - October 13, 2010
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VIERA — In the film "Field of Dreams," it took just days for the now classic line "If you build it, he will come" to yield a farmland baseball field. For James Tapp, things have moved a bit slower. The retired firefighter has spent six years hunting for a home for the Brevard County Field of Dreams, a cane- and crutch-friendly sports facility for the Space Coast's disabled youths.

County commissioners signaled support for his effort at their meeting Tuesday, approving a resolution commending the project. The nod comes as organizers say a possible deal to locate the facility in an older section of Max K. Rodes Park, off Minton Road in West Melbourne, is inching forward."I hope everybody steps up to the plate," Tapp quipped Tuesday, as he showed a DVD of smiling children rounding out bases with walkers as proof of the project's value.

When complete at an estimated cost of $3 millionto $4 million, the facility is slated to include basketball courts with adjustable nets, a small golf course, and fields for baseball and soccer. Fields will include a rubber surface to curb fall-down injuries, Tapp said. Now commissioners must meet to review a plan that could place the facility on up to 8 acres in the existing Rodes Park, land currently being used for recreation programs, according to Brevard County Parks and Recreation Director Jack Masson. "The existing Rodes Park would not be available until the new Rodes Park is completed, and that is anticipated in 2011," Masson said.

It means the dream is still at a distance. But after years of setbacks -- from difficulties finding a location to problems securing funding -- organizers consider the resolution a milestone."It's not just a dream anymore, it's something that's being recognized by the community," said Mike Klenotich, vice president of the Field of Dreams organization.

The concept for a disabled-friendly sports complex in Brevard was born in New Jersey. Tapp was visiting a sick relative in 2004 when he read an article about the South Jersey Field of Dreams, in nearby Absecon, N.J. Tapp, 70, has no disabled children of his own, but was inspired by the concept.

"I learned what trials and tribulations they had to go through, and it's not an easy life," he said. "I thought maybe I'd come down and give it a shot here." Over the years, the project has been delayed. It was planned for Palm Bay before setbacks encouraged Tapp to take it to the county level. He had hoped the county could spare some money to help out with the cost, but that didn't happen. Now he's hopeful a pending decision by the county commission will help in fundraising."We have to go out and look for our own funding," he said. "But once we get to a point where we get a contract, we can show people that we will have the land to do this."

The Census Bureau estimates there were about 5,400 disabled persons under age 18 in Brevard County in 2009. Those are young people who can benefit from being outside a clinical setting, according to Leslie Roth, executive director of Space Coast Early Intervention Center. The Melbourne pre-school offers a playground with equipment catered to disabled youth, as well as classes and activities that allow children with developmental constraints to interact with kids who do not have any disabilities."Play and activity and being out in the air, it's good for every kid," Roth said.

Klenotich has seen the benefits of outdoor activity first hand. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy, his daughter Brittany nonetheless looked forward to playing in weekly baseball games at a Palm Bay field until about two years ago when it became unmanageable."Every time she would have to use the restroom, I would have to carry her," Klenotich said, adding the field was not friendly to her walker. "By the time we would get back, she had missed the inning." He's worked closely with Tapp to plan things for Field of Dreams like accessible bathrooms, seating and water fountains, and said the family is looking forward to seeing kids like Brittany get up to bat."We need to move forward with this quickly," he said. " A lot of these kids may not see their next birthday."

Contact Walker at dnwalker@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3692.

 

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ARTICLE FROM FLORIDA TODAY - November 20, 2009
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Athletic facility for disabled gains support

The vision of creating ball fields for the disabled is closer to reality as Brevard County and West Melbourne officials have shown support for the Brevard County Field of Dreams project.

The older section of Max K. Rodes Park on Minton Road in West Melbourne could be the location of the facility. Originally slated for baseball only, plans now also include accommodations for the disabled in a "boundless" playground, a restroom/concession building, soccer, basketball, bocce ball, shuffleboard and miniature golf.  The Brevard County Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding in August with Brevard County Field of Dreams, Inc., a non-profit group spearheading the effort.  "I've been working on it for five years," said Dreams founder Jim Tapp of Palm Bay, who toured a similar facility while visiting a small town near Atlantic City, N.J.

The playing surface will be completely paved for wheelchair use, color-coded and covered with a soft surface for safety.  "It just grabbed my heart and I decided we needed one here," Tapp said.  County staff and members of the engineering firm PBS&J met in October to discuss the conceptual plan for the facility, which may be put in the northern most section of the park along Minton Road, Tapp said.  "I think it's a great idea -- there's nothing like it anywhere around here -- and I think it will have a regional draw," said county Parks and Recreation Department Director Don Lusk.  The concept also has gained support from county recreational advisory boards, he said.  All county recreation facilities comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but they are not designed to accommodate the disabled as players, he said.  The plans are so preliminary, it's hard to guess on a price tag for the project, Lusk said.  Also on board with the idea is District 5 County Commissioner Andy Anderson, where the park is located.  "I think it will be one of those situations where grant and private donations will flood in, making it cost very little to the taxpayer,' he said. "Everybody is supportive of it. We just want to get it done."

The original idea was for the facility to be only for disabled children and located in Palm Bay, where Anderson served as a city councilman.  When that didn't work out, Tapp said he thought the idea would go by the wayside. He expects it will take two years to build, including the completion of the new Rodes Park complex.  "I think things are going to do a lot better now that we've made some contacts who support it. There's a ray of sunshine coming into the community. I've had people stop me on the street to ask about it," Tapp said.  Denise and Michael Klenotich have become so involved with the project, their daughter Brittany, 10, who has cerebral palsy, now is the official Field of Dreams poster child.  "She keeps begging us, 'Why can't I play ball?' One of the hardest things as a parent is to tell your child no and then you have to explain why they can't play the sport," said Denise Klenotich.  "That's why we need Field of Dreams, so we won't have to say no anymore. She shouldn't be robbed of playing any sport. We need something that will help everybody and where nobody will be excluded," she said.

 

 

 

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