Palmer Little League celebratesnew facility

PALMER -- The Palmer Little League celebrated the start of the annual Colony Days Tournament with the official opening of its newest facility.

Palmer Little League officials, Palmer city and Mat-Su Borough officials and members of the local Little League squad gathered to commemorate the opening of the Sherrod Little League Complex.

Using resources from a borough recreation bond, officials turned what once was the Sherrod Softball Complex, into a new facility for the Palmer Little League. Brad Hanson, a member of the Palmer Little League and a Palmer city councilman, said the Palmer Little League, which has long been in need of additional facilities, targeted the Sherrod Complex once the local softball squads began using other facilities.

"Softball had used these fields for so long, but they developed plans to go elsewhere," Hanson said. "It's too good of a facility, not to be in use."

Plans to make the Sherrod Complex the little league's newest venue began in July of 2003 and the result is a group of fields with a complete makeover.

Hanson said the key to the project was the partnership between the borough and the city. The new fields will be used for each of the different baseball division of the Palmer Little League. Improvements to the complex included new dugouts and batting cages.