By Emily Younker
eyounker@joplinglobe.com
New name, new look, new owners.
That’s the catchphrase for the Sports Park of Southwest Missouri, 1107 N. Prosperity Ave. The operation, formerly the Four Seasons Sports Complex, has been owned by Floyd and Jane Wiss, of Duenweg, since October.
Jane Wiss said most plans for the complex involve renovations and upgrades.
“We’re redoing everything,” she said. “It’s all been spruced up and cleaned up. We’re not adding anything at this point. We’re not going to rule out that in the future, but right now we’re going to go with the status quo.”
Areas scheduled for renovation include the concession area, which will receive new paint, countertops and equipment. The six outdoor fields, which Wiss said are in “tiptop shape,” will see new scoreboards.
Wiss said the renovations are continuing.
“It will be ongoing until everything is back into shape again,” she said. “It just all takes time.”
Wiss said the complex will continue to have tournaments and other activities for sports teams. About 800 people are expected over the weekend for a baseball tournament involving 30 youth teams and their parents, she said. The previous weekend, the complex was host to 37 teams for a tournament, she said.
The baseball season at the complex started March 1. The site also is available to teams for softball, soccer, basketball, volleyball and kickball, Wiss said.
“We just call it a complete complex because you can do practically every sport here,” she said. “We have the availability for all sports, indoor and out.”
Wiss said the complex has “a lot of amenities,” including covered bleachers and dugouts at the outdoor fields, a 21,000-square-foot dome that covers two basketball courts, and seating for roughly 200 in the clubhouse and concession area.
She said the outdoor baseball fields are perfectly suited to the changing March weather; two weekends ago, it was so chilly that staff members handed out 225 cups of hot chocolate at a baseball tournament.
“Within 30 minutes after a rain shower, you can play ball because they’re well-designed and they drain quickly,” she said.
Details: Sports Park of Southwest Missouri, 417-781-2533.
Business
<img src=" http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/thursday.gif" border=0> Complex sees upgrades under new ownership
Baseball season already under way at Sports Park
- Business
-
-
Obama call for manufacturing revival a tough goal
President Barack Obama is making a strong election-year push for an economic revival “built on American manufacturing.” But he faces an uphill slog, with little consensus even within his own party on how to do it.
-
Stocks fall sharply as Greek deal is held up
Stocks are closing their worst day this year after Greece hit a roadblock on its way to a critical bailout.
-
Budget deficit drops to $27 billion in January
The budget deficit fell sharply in January compared to a year earlier, as an improving economy lifts income tax revenue.
-
Feds slap CA utility for San Onofre ammonia leak
Federal regulators say an ammonia leak that caused an emergency alert at Southern California’s San Onofre nuclear plant was caused by employees who failed to recognize degraded equipment and fix it.
-
Chicago officials make plans for potential massive protests of G-8, NATO summits
In Wisconsin, a group of environmentalists plans to bicycle to Chicago’s G-8 and NATO summits to protest an economy that relies too heavily on fossil fuel.
-
Obama praises Italian leader’s economic efforts
Eager for Europe to contain its economic troubles, President Barack Obama praised Italian Premier Mario Monti on Thursday for his efforts to lead Italy out of its fiscal quagmire.
-
Consortium in South wins federal approval for 2 new nuclear reactors
A consortium of utilities in the South won government approval Thursday to construct two new reactors at an estimated cost of $14 billion, the strongest signal yet that the three-decade hiatus of nuclear plant construction is finally ending.
-
Stocks fall at the open as Greek deal is held up
U.S. stocks opened lower Friday after Greece’s bailout deal was put on hold, a day after it seemed that the country had satisfied its creditors.
-
Asia stocks slip as Greek bailout remains in limbo
Asian stock markets dropped Friday after Europe’s finance ministers demanded more spending cuts from Greece before clearing a (euro) 130 billion ($170 billion) bailout to stave off the country’s bankruptcy.
-
Google’s first employee leaves to join education nonprofit
Google Inc.’s first hired employee, Craig Silverstein, is leaving the tech giant, where he’s worked since its founding, to sign on with the rising education startup Khan Academy.
- More Business Headlines
-
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
