Morganton makes Little League List

Burke's county seat is one of three cities that may be the future home for the Southeast Region Headquarters of Little League Baseball and Softball.

The choice could add millions annually to one community's local economy.

Eighteen cities vied for selection. Little League International on Friday narrowed the field to three.

Greenville, S.C., and the city of Warner Robins, near Macon, Ga., remain in the running with Morganton.

"The Little League International Board of Directors was impressed both by the proposal from Morganton, as well as the community itself," Stephen D. Keener, president and CEO of Little League International, said in a news release Friday.

"It has been a challenge to select the finalists, as we received 18 outstanding proposals from all over the Southeast Region," he added.

In the next step of the selection process, Little League International officials will visit Morganton and the other finalists.

"We're looking forward to working with Morganton in the next phase in the selection," Keener said. "The process for finding a new home for the Southeast Region Headquarters site is moving along well."

Little League International did not announce a date for the visit, but Gary Leonhardt, director of Morganton Parks and Recreation, said he expects it will be in early November.

"It sounds like they have accelerated their schedule," he said.

The Southeast Region Headquarters is the oldest of Little League's five regional offices in the United States. Earlier this year, Little League International sold its 12.8-acre property in Gulfport, Fla., a suburb of St. Petersburg, and began seeking a new home for he Southeast Region Headquarters.

To assemble its proposal, Morganton recruited a steering committee of eight people, but also drew on several community organizations and city staff members for their contributions.

The payoff could be millions of dollars for the local economy, free national publicity for both Morganton and Burke County and even some jobs.

"The number of teams they bring includes eight state champions who play for the Southeast regional championship. We know what that's like from when Morganton went to Florida and Williamsport. They bring along parents, aunts, uncles, friends — a lot of people, a huge crowd for that tournament," Leonhardt said.

"On ESPN we see the 11- to 12-year-olds, because that's who gets national attention. But they also have 9- and 10-year-olds, girls softball, junior and senior divisions.

"It's definitely worth a couple million dollars each year" to restaurants, motels, other shops and tourist attractions.

Most of the seven to nine full-time staff members will be relocated from the Florida headquarters.
"Little League uses a lot of volunteers," Leonhardt said, "but there are some people they will hire throughout the year."

As for the national publicity, Leonhardt said, "Who knows what it's worth to have the television coverage? We played five games on ESPN. After we had the experience of going to Williamsport, we saw how great it is that we could be a part of it."

If Little League International selects Morganton, residents will see big changes and improvements at Catawba Meadows.

"The facilities they need include a 5,000-seat, Major League-looking stadium available for the regional tournament and things they do throughout the year," Leonhardt said. "They also want four regular fields, batting cages, an administrative office, dormitories for players and a maintenance facility."

Morganton offered a 20-acre site if Little League International wants to build from the ground up.

"Our proposal had a lot of different components; we gave them options," he continued. "If they decide they'd rather work with us, we have some ballfields that might take care of their needs. That would save them money. We're getting ready to build a maintenance facility ourselves. We recently renovated a building for concessions. And there is a former nursery facility they could possibly renovate for the administrative office."

Among the three finalists for Little League's consideration, Morganton is the smallest city, with about 17,000 people. Greenville has 56,000; and Warner Robins has 48,000.

Morganton, however, is closer in size to Little League's home in Pennsylvania: Williamsport, population 30,000. Leonhardt pointed out another similarity: both are less than 90 miles from major cities and airports.

"Who knows exactly what they're looking for?" he said. "We're a small town that's pretty progressive.

"We're already a part of the Little League program and I think they enjoyed us when we came to Williamsport in 2004. They saw we have good people in the Little League program.

"I think we have a great location with good interstate access. We have a lot to offer visitors and players. Being part of the complex at Catawba Meadows is a plus; there's more to do there than baseball. We have a low crime rate, good people, a good town."

The Southeast Regional Headquarters serves as the administrative center for Little League Baseball and Softball activities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

The annual Southeast Region Championship game is played at the regional headquarters. ESPN or ESPN2 has televised the game every year since 1997.

Little League previously said it will announce the new site for the Southeast Region Headquarters in early 2009.