Construction is underway on ‘Project Heaven’ at Field of Dreams

DYERSVILLE, Iowa (KCRG) - “We can’t wait to have hundreds of youth softball and baseball teams playing in tournaments on our new fields and experience the magic of hitting home runs in the corn,” CEO of ‘Go the Distance Baseball’ and MLB Hall of Famer Frank Thomas said.

There was a lot of excitement at the groundbreaking of ‘Project Heaven’ at the Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville.

“I’ve been in business for 45 years. Every once in a while, we get a project that is just a gem. It’s such a wonderful thing to be part of and this in my career, is probably the best and most worthwhile project that we’ve ever worked on,” Leopardo Companies Inc. founder Jim Leopardo said.

Less than a year ago, ‘Go the Distance Baseball’ announced its initial vision to add nearly 110 acres, which includes 9 new baseball and softball diamonds.

“After sitting through hundreds of meetings and having all sorts of concepts and design situations running through my head, to come back here and see it, is kind of like writing it in ink. Like hey, this is really going to happen,” COO of ‘Go the Distance Baseball’ said Dan Evans.

Evans added that they expect to host tournaments during the summer of 2023.

But, it’s not just the ball fields. Team dormitories and a hotel are expected to be completed by the end of 2023. The full development, which includes an outdoor concert venue, park and more, is slated to be finished by 2025. While there will be a lot of construction over the next few years for this plan, developers want to preserve the integrity of the Feld of Dreams movie site.

“You’ll stand at home plate of the Field of Dreams movie site and you won’t be able to see the complex and vice versa,” explained Evans. “We feel that it’s a very special place. To tinker with that, just wouldn’t be right.”

By adding and enhancing the grounds around it, they hope to give people more to do when they visit.

“We’re building it, so people will come,” said Thomas.

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