August 10, 2007
NASHVILLE – A North Nashville baseball field rendered useless due to overgrown weeds, scattered rocks, and lack of a pitching mound will be completely restored today thanks to the volunteer contributions of the local branch of a national landscaping company.

More than 20 staff members from the Brickman Group will restore the baseball field at Pearl-Cohn High School, beginning at 7:30 a.m. and working until the job is complete in the late afternoon.

The field renovation project was the brainchild of Nashville RBI executive director Reggie Whittemore and board chairman Jeff Wernick. Nashville RBI was left without a place for its 13- and 14-year-old baseball players to practice and play after a downtown condo project removed an inner-city baseball diamond; meanwhile, Pearl-Cohn has been unable to play a home game for more than two years due to the deterioration of its field. Wernick and Whittemore approached Pearl-Cohn and Metro Schools officials with a proposal: If we can arrange for the field to be renovated, can Nashville RBI use it when it’s not in use by the school? All parties quickly agreed, and Kevin Hargrove, manager of Brickman’s Nashville branch, came on board to offer his company’s services. Approximately $30,000 worth of work to the field is being donated by Brickman and a dozen of its vendors at no charge. The company encourages its local branches to perform work in the community each year as part of its Founder’s Day celebration.

"This is exactly the kind of thing that needs to happen if the game of baseball is to survive in the inner city," said Whittemore. "Kids need a place to play. It’s that simple. We are extremely grateful to Brickman for its donation of time and materials and to the staff at Metro Schools and Pearl-Cohn High School for working together with us to allow this to happen."

Tim McLaughlin, supervisor of plant maintenance and operations for Metro Schools, said the project is especially meaningful because it will benefit hundreds of kids.

"We are always thankful to volunteers from the community such as Brickman and Nashville RBI who are willing to donate their time and resources to improve school facilities," said McLaughlin. "This is a great project because it benefits not only the Pearl-Cohn baseball team, but so many other kids in the neighborhood who participate in the Nashville RBI program."

Hargrove said employees from all levels of the Brickman branch – from executives to entry-level landscapers – will work in the 100-degree heat to renovate the field. Tasks include removing all rocks, trimming the grass, laying 20 tons of clay and 20 tons of infield mix, cutting and lining the basepaths and foul lines, building a pitching mound, installing foul poles, and leveling the infield.

"It’s important to Brickman to give back to the community, and this is the kind of project we were looking for," said Hargrove, himself a big baseball fan. "We wanted to do something that would benefit kids, and we wanted to do something that would make a real difference. We’re thrilled to be a part of bringing baseball back to this neighborhood."

One of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial landscape companies, Brickman has more than 130 branches in 25 states. The company has a special sports turf division that consults with professional teams and is responsible for baseball field design construction and maintenance at the Olympic Games, including the 2000 Games in Sydney, 2004 in Athens, and 2008 in Beijing.

"We’re going from having nowhere for our kids to play to having one of the best ball diamonds in the city," said Whittemore. "It’s amazing what can happen in one day."

About Nashville RBI

Nashville RBI uses baseball and softball and the power of teams to provide inner-city youth with opportunities to play, to learn and to grow, inspiring them to recognize their potential and realize their dreams. Nashville RBI was started in 1996 with a grant from Major League Baseball. The Nashville chapter now involves more than 1,000 boys and girls ages 6 to 14, and is designed to promote youth interest in baseball and softball, promote greater inclusion of minorities into the mainstream of the games, increase the self-esteem of disadvantaged children, and encourage academic participation and achievement.