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SANFORD, Maine — To tweak that famous quote from “Field of Dreams,” the one whispered by the voice in the sky, “If you build it, they will come … even when it’s winter.”
The baseball field in that classic 1989 feel-good film was built in Iowa, so surely it was closed during the cold and snowy months. But here in Sanford, when the Crystal Athletic Facility is finished this December, there will be baseball because this facility’s field will be indoors.
The facility, a inflatable dome, is scheduled to open to the public at 414 Alfred Road on Jan. 1, 2022, according to Jana Doughty, of 4Square LLC.
The company — which is owned by Doughty, Chuck Chadbourne, Paul Cote and Megan Cote — secured the Sanford Planning Board’s conditional approval for the project, which is expected to break ground in the coming weeks.
“We’re very excited to have this project moving forward,” Doughty said.
Doughty and Chadbourne also own Coastal Riptide, a youth athletic training organization in Wells.
The dome, a permanent structure, will be 125 feet by 150 feet with full turf and a baseball field and batting and hitting tunnels inside, according to Doughty. The tunnels will be retractable, which will provide space for athletes in other sports, including football and lacrosse. Also inside the dome, there will be spaces on both sides for parents and others to watch practices and games.
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The structure will have a concrete foundation and siding. Its dome will be insulated, inflatable fabric bolstered by air pressure. The facility will have heating for the colder months and industrial fans for the summer.
The dome will be a place for coaching and preseason clinics in conjunction with Coastal Riptide’s staff, Doughty said. She added that 4Square’s goal is to provide year-round space to young athletes in Sanford and surrounding communities.
Outside the dome, two baseball fields — one Little League-sized and another high school-sized — will be built, according to plans shown by Project Manager Kendra Ramsell, of Sebago Technics, during the planning board’s meeting on Sept. 16. Ramsell noted there will be multi-use opportunities in the outfield of the larger ball field.
On Friday, Doughty said the Little League field, which is part of Phase 1 for the project, is expected to break ground first in spring 2022.
Ramsell told the planning board that 61 parking spaces are planned. The facility will be accessed from Alfred Road, or Route 4, and an entranceway on nearby Grammar Road will be for emergency use only.
With neighbors in mind, Ramsell told the board there will not be any loudspeakers on site.
“Abutters can look forward to quiet play,” she said.
Ramsell also said stadium lighting is not proposed for the outdoor fields.
“Barely past nine o’clock will the fields be used,” she said. “They won’t be out there, playing in the pitch dark.”
Currently, there is a small, single structure — a former nail salon — on the property, located in the foreground as you drive by on Alfred Road. According to Doughty, the structure will be converted into office space and a small lounge where parents can relax, socialize and take advantage of WiFi availability as their children practice and train inside the dome.
Ramsell told the planning board the building also will include a bathroom, as one will not be available inside the dome. Portable restrooms also will be available on the premises during the first phase, she added. A concession area and restrooms are planned for Phase 2 of the project.
Southern Maine currently lacks indoor playing space, Doughty said. Gordon Salls, the athletic director for the Sanford School Department, made the same observation on Friday. He said the nearest such facilities are in Portland and New Hampshire, so having a closer venue here in Sanford “is huge.”
“I’m hoping our kids will be able to take advantage of that,” he said.
Salls said 4Square’s facility will provide local youth — from elementary school, all the way through high school — a place to go to build their athletic skills.
“That will make our programs better,” he said.
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