For the past 29 years, Bridgeport Community Development Director Randy Spellman has been involved in roughly a dozen million or multi-million dollar city-related projects.  From a construction management standpoint, he’s seen it all.

 

Yet, as Spellman sat amongst the throng that gathered for today’s Bridgeport Recreation Complex at Charles Pointe grand opening, he knew he had been involved with somewhat of a bird of a different feather.

 

“This was, without a doubt, the most difficult undertaking in my nearly 30 years for a variety of reasons,” Spellman said. “Most of the other large projects I’ve managed were buildings or the construction of things we’re familiar with, while this is a recreation complex and it’s a brand new animal for all of us.”

 

The animal was unleashed to the public to rave reviews and standing ovations during the opening ceremonies. The wagon wheel of four baseball fields were ready for a full day of action, but not before Bridgeport City officials dedicated the complex with a ribbon cutting, West Virginia University Athletic Director Oliver Luck delivered a keynote speech, and Bridgeport Little League held their opening day ceremonies before they, and the West Virginia Patriots’ two teams, hit the field. After that, it was “play ball” time for a city that has been seeking additional athletic fields for years. And they brought in head of the biggest athletic program in the state to deliver a message to those gathered.

 

“Have fun and play with a smile on your face,” Luck told the dozens of youth watching the festivities. “You’ll play better.”

 

Luck, no stranger to what athletic venues provide to a community through his work with WVU and past work in other major markets, knows there are benefits to the community beyond baseball. And those benefits go beyond Bridgeport.

 

“I’m old enough to know what parents will do today for youth sports. When I was a kid you were given a bike and told to go ride,” said Luck, who just turned 53, and pointed to how this is a benefit for the entire region. “There’s been a fundamental shift in what a parent will do for their children and I think mostly it’s a good shift … With my own kids we’ve traveled and spent so much money on hotels, restaurants, amusement parks and other things and it all benefits the community you’re in. Bridgeport officials were right on the money with what this will do for the economy.”

 

While Luck and so many others saw the finished product, Spellman and others were the key individuals getting it to that point. At times, it wasn’t easy. Part of the reason was, as Spellman noted, the newness of the project to the city. Another reason was that the project was divided into multiple contracts as a way to save money.

 

“Initially, I wasn’t involved, but late last spring, City Manager Kim Haws put me up here to work  with (City Engineer) Tom (Brown) and (Parks and Recreation Director) Don (Burton) to help  coordinate,” Spellman said. “I became intimately involved in May of last year and it’s dominated the bulk of my time since then. In the last two months, it’s monopolized 80 percent of my time.”

 

Haws gave credit to all three of those individuals and explained the need for Spellman to get involved. Like others, he pointed to the complexity of the project as to the reason Spellman became one of the point men.

 

“Those three and their staffs have devoted a tremendous amount of their time to what is a very complex project. From the infrastructure, to the dirt being moved to problems with running into rock, we encountered it all,” Haws said. “As this moved forward, I felt the actual construction required Randy’s involvement and he allocated much of his time and also worked with Tom. Don was busy as well and he assumed responsibility for the operational side of things. Neither task was a piece of cake for anyone involved.”

 

As the Little League Ceremonies were beginning and Spellman’s official tour of duty with the recreation complex was complete, he – as well as Brown - was kind of glad to step back and hand over full responsibility to Parks and Recreation. At the same time, he said, it was a little bittersweet.

 

“It’s been rewarding to be involved with this, but a little disheartening knowing I won’t be here every day. I’m just happy to see it work out.  I think a lot of has to do with being able to work with guys like Don and (Assistant Parks and Recreation Director) Joe (Shuttleworth) that I’ve worked with at the city forever.

 

“Don’s oversight and planning ability and Joe being the one who always was willing to get his hands dirty and complete things are a credit to their department,” Spellman continued. “It’s also a credit this got done to the Engineering and Public Works Department. By no means was this a one-person operation, which is good because this project won’t benefit any one person or team. It will benefit everyone in Bridgeport and the entire region. Most important, it allows for some fun.”

 

Luck closed his comments backing Spellman’s statement.

 

“This grand opening,” said Luck, “gives us a chance to say the three greatest words in the English language. ‘Let’s play ball.’”

 

And on Sunday, thanks to hard work, some luck with the weather and some guy named Luck on stage, they did just that.

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Please check out our Facebook Page and comment on what you thought of opening day for a chance to win the first pitch thrown out and autographed by Oliver Luck. The bottom photo is by Ben Queen. www.benqueenphotography.com.