Banks donate $30,000 to construction of Nashua-Plainfield baseball/softball complex

By Kelly Terpstra, Of the Reporter

Donations by three area banks moved the Nashua-Plainfield School District ballfield construction project closer to its funding goal.

FSB Bank, First Bank and Lincoln Savings Bank each donated $10,000 toward the project, which will build new baseball and softball facilities in Plainfield.

N-P Superintendent Todd Liechty said donations such as these are putting the project “on the go-train.”

Originally estimated to cost about $3 million, the first bids received in a May bid-letting were in the $4.5 million range. Revamping and rebidding the project in the fall resulted in a $3.279 bid by Peters Construction of Waterloo, which was accepted and ground broken on the project.

Liechty said about an additional $150,000 is needed to cover construction costs that the SAVE funds won’t cover. He is shooting for raising $500,000 to make sure the district has enough to cover any additional costs.

“We’ve raised in the vicinity of $160,000,” said Liechty.

The superintendent said he is hoping the public will take the next step to help push the project through and reach completion, and that means donating.

“The biggest thing right now is the project’s a go. We’ve got a bid. We’ve approved the contract,” said Liechty. “I think people were holding back because they didn’t know if it was going to go or not. ‘What would you do with my money if it didn’t go?’ Now, it’s on path.”

The new complex will include a varsity baseball diamond on the east side of the property and the softball diamond will move a bit to the west. The two diamonds will be located on the land that used to be home to the Plainfield Pirates’ football team.

While N-P won’t be able to enjoy its new sports complex until 2025, Liechty said he is excited about the path the project is taking, and about donations like the total $30,000 received from the banks this week.

Nashua-Plainfield currently plays its home softball games in Plainfield while the baseball team plays its home contests in Nashua on a diamond that is located on land owned by the Big 4 Fair Board. The baseball diamond does not have lights, which means not only is Nashua-Plainfield the lone Top of Iowa Conference East Division school that must play baseball in the late afternoon and early evening but it is also the only division school that plays its two summer sports in different towns.