Restoring a ballpark at the heart of a Missouri community

Youth sports can help kids build character, grow confidence and learn teamwork. They can also bring communities together. That's why Spire employees in St. Joseph, Missouri, rallied to clean up Lions Field, a little league baseball field on the north side of town.  

Spire crew members made repairs to the infield, removed weeds and overgrown vegetation, cleared mud from the dugouts, painted fences, washed bleachers and restriped the parking lot. They even replaced a missing U.S. flag.  

A local landscaping maintenance company also teamed up with the crew to mow, aerate, seed and fertilize the outfield.

Hunter Gibson, a Spire serviceperson who helped organize the project, says the ballpark is a special place for him. He and some of his fellow Spire volunteers played on Lions Field as children and now have young kids of their own who play games there. Hunter also serves on the board of the Pony Express Baseball program that utilizes the field.

The crew was happy to make the ballpark a more inviting place for young athletes, their families and community members. 

Check out photos of the project below.