In 1926, the city of Logansport received two land donations from the David Dykeman estate that allowed for the development of Logansport Memorial Hospital and Dykeman Park Golf Course.

“I think now we know those are assets to the community, but back then they were only opportunities,” said Brian Morrill, part of a local development group that has been working on a deal that could rival those.

A Logansport family is hoping to give the city 80 acres of property north of the Eel River near the center of town. The city plans to use the site for a sports complex and other recreational facilities.

The Logansport Parks and Recreation Board heard a presentation Wednesday from Morrill and the development group that has been working on the deal with the Huston family and Realtor Judy McNarny for several months.

Morrill said the family made an official offer Wednesday and the board then approved a grant application by Parks Administrator Jan Fawley for $200,000 to help in developing the land. The deal now hinges on the approval of city council, which will meet today to discuss the donation.

What started as a small-scale project to help fill some of the area’s needs for sports fields has developed into something much larger, said Morrill. The development group is now looking at a multi-phase project that could include softball and soccer fields, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts and other possibilities.

“Let’s look at it and see what it can become,” said Dave Workman, who has also helped to develop the deal. “I don’t think we can even know what it can become.”

The deed stipulates that the land must be used solely as parks ground. Located south of Smith Street, the land has an estimated value of $480,000, but Fawley and the development group, which also includes Brian Shockney and Mike Meagher, feel its potential is nearly immeasurable.

The Logansport Parks and Recreation Department’s Master Plan for 2006-2010 outlines needs not only for the sports fields, but other recreational facilities such as a splash park, climbing wall and hockey rink. The group has also envisioned an outdoor amphitheater, butterfly garden and extensive trail system.

“There’s all sorts of things we could do there if we dare to dream,” said Workman. “This can be a place Logansport can rally around.”

The land is situated near an area called the Hervey Preserve, which is owned by the hospital foundation and is in the early stages of development for trails. Fawley and members of the development group hope that when the project is completed several years down the road, it will help to connect more than 150 acres of recreational areas from Little Turtle Waterway to the River Bluff Trail through the Hervey Preserve and into the sports complex.

The group is working with a consultant to examine the possibilities. Similar sports complexes in other communities have drawn millions of dollars in economic activity, and Workman felt Logansport’s geography made it a prime location to tap into that cash flow.

Several members of the parks board as well as other city and county officials who attended the meeting spoke out in favor of the project.

“I want to encourage you to move ahead, take advantage and don’t let this pass,” Cass County Commissioner Steve Kain told the board. “Our community needs this. You have a unique opportunity here. Don’t pass it up. Move ahead and hopefully the city council will see fit to follow suit.”

Carla Knapp can be contacted at (574) 732-5150 or via e-mail at carla.knapp@pharostribune.com