Miracle League project is making big dreams come true

Canada’s first Miracle League baseball field for special-needs athletes is nearing completion in the southern Ontario town of Amherstburg. The new “field of dreams” is part of the Amherstburg Sports Complex that includes a variety of other handicapped-accessible facilities for indoor and outdoor sports. 

Tecumseh, Ont., contractor Michael O’Keefe Ltd. has played a key role in developing both the Miracle League baseball field and the neighboring football/soccer field. He used a fleet of Case excavators, crawler dozers and loader/backhoes to provide drainage, sub-base, base and final grading for 25 acres of the total 85-acre site. O’Keefe worked on the project as a subcontractor to general contractor DeAngelis Construction, Maidstone, Ont.

Started in 1998 as a local organization in Georgia, the Miracle League has grown to more than 200 local affiliates in the United States and its first Canadian league in Amherstburg. The organization implements its vision – “Every child deserves a chance to play baseball.” – by providing facilities, leaders and volunteers to make the dream of playing baseball come true for physically challenged boys and girls.

Amherstburg’s Miracle League construction project began in September 2009. The sports complex is Canada’s first multi-use indoor/outdoor recreation center to accommodate those with special needs. The $25 million, barrier-free facility features an outdoor, rubberized synthetic turf that can accommodate wheelchairs and walking devices.

The complex includes 135,000 square feet of indoor facilities featuring two ice rinks, a mini practice rink, a soccer field with walking track, community room, concessions and sports retailing. Outdoor facilities include the Miracle League baseball diamond and a professional size soccer/football field. 

“This is something I’ve never seen outside,” said Shawn O’Keefe, project manager for Michael O’Keefe Ltd. “We’re honored to be involved in the construction of this very special facility.”

The outdoor fields are protected by a unique surface water drainage system to prevent storm water from pooling. Indoors, the eco-friendly polycarbonate arena windows and rooftop solar panels reduce costs by generating energy and letting in light.

Amherstburg expects visitors from all over North America at the new complex. In addition to hosting the local schedule of Miracle League baseball games, the field will be the site of frequent regional tournaments. Local officials predict the complex will accommodate up to 100,000 people annually.

Evolution of a Trucking Company
Michael O’Keefe founded his business in 1965 as a trucking company. Shawn, his son, helped after school. O’Keefe purchased its first used Case loader/backhoe in 1970 and has had at least one in inventory ever since. Shawn was interested in excavation and eventually the business began to expand to include site prep work. O’Keefe currently focuses on sewer installation, grading, excavating, backfilling and vacuum excavation.

The Case equipment line up at O’Keefe currently includes a 590 Super M loader/backhoe, CX210B and CX160B excavators, 850XLT crawler dozer and 420CT compact track loader. O’Keefe credits Case dealer, Kucera Construction Equipment, with providing excellent ongoing support. “Dave Kucera has been a tremendous asset for me in the growth of my business. He has personally helped me at all hours of the day, and provided access to whatever equipment I need.”

O’Keefe has used its excavators at the Amherstburg Sports Complex for tasks such as footing excavation, backfilling of foundation walls, bulk earth moving, construction of a toboggan run, ditch and swale construction and sewer installation. 

The dozer has shaped the entire site, cut swales, leveled parking areas, and graded the fields and landscaped areas. The compact track loader backfilled and graded inside the building, helped install sewers and pushed the laser box grader that did all of the final grading for the fields and floors. The loader/backhoe trenched, cleaned up, assisted with sewers, compacted with a hoe pack, broke frost with a hydraulic hammer and served as Shawn’s “mobile office.”

With nearly 2,000 hours on the Case 160B excavator, “It is terrific on fuel, and we’ve had negligible down time,” Shawn noted.

“One day last fall, when the job was crawling with equipment, we decided that we needed to cover some of the rough-graded parking lot area with gravel. We needed to spread about 2,500 tons in a day but the dozers were too busy so I did it with my backhoe. Even the other operators were amazed that I could push that much stone with that machine,” explained Shawn. “My Case machines are all very powerful for their respective sizes. The cabs are well designed and as comfortable as you could want. The serviceability has also been a plus.”

lthough Michael O’Keefe remains a small company, its role in the Miracle League project is making big dreams come true.