When Tropical Storm Helene made its way through Western North Carolina on September 27th, the impact on Veterans Park in Black Mountain was profound. As Josh Henderson, the Black Mountain Recreation and Park Director, described, there was about 6 feet of standing water in the park, as evidenced by the waterlines in the bathrooms. Everything in the park suffered flood damage, including the baseball fields, disc golf course, playground, restrooms, concession stand, and nearly everything else. However, some parts of the park did survive, such as the disc golf baskets and the playground. But the surfacing around the park was completely washed away.

For Decades, a Home for Little League

For decades, the Owen Babe Ruth Little League called Veterans Park their home for playing games. With the extensive destruction left by Helene, if the four destroyed baseball fields were not repaired, the league would have nowhere to play. Henderson mentioned that the town is currently in the process of filing claims with insurance companies and FEMA, but the progress is slow.

The Journey to Recovery

Two months after Helene hit Western North Carolina, remarkable progress has been made. Thanks to donations from around the country, three of the four baseball fields at Veterans Park have been repaired. These donations were organized by Don Clark, the CEO of BioSaphe, an agricultural biotech firm based in Texas. Specializing in "healthy, sustainable and safe fertilizing solutions for sports fields and golf courses," Clark was initially scheduled for a camping trip in the area but was spared due to scheduling conflicts. Seeing the destruction from a distance inspired him to come to the area and help.He initially planned to clean up houses but was directed to Veterans Park and realized the need for its repair. As a father and a coach himself, Clark understood the importance of having a place for children to play. He used his industry connections to build a network of people who could get the job done. "If you missed two to three years in your young age like that, it's devastating. You might not ever play that sport again and you'll be so far behind some other kids that's played for two to three years. That'd be hard to catch up," he said. Another motivation for him was seeing children often overlooked in the devastation. "We think about all the adult stuff, but we forget about the children. The children have emotional and mental and physical needs. … They need to have a place where they can see their friends, they can play, be active. It just resonated with me," he added.

The Volunteer Effort

Henderson estimates that the work done by the volunteers, which involved rebuilding the fields "from the ground up," is valued at around $750,000. The volunteers worked hard, hauling away the debris on the fields, grading them, and installing new playing surfaces on three of the four fields. This was completed over the course of November 22nd and 23rd. Clark worked on the fields along with representatives from Precision Turf and several baseball teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates, Asheville Tourists, Winston-Salem Dash, Miami Marlins, Hickory Crawdads, Knoxville Smokies, Kannapolis Cannonballers, and Charlotte Knights. A pair of field managers from the University of Alabama also joined in the effort. Locally-owned businesses such as Godfrey Grading, CB Land, Trillium Creek Property Enhancement, Gilliam Timber and Land, LLP Construction, and Blue Ridge Waterscapes also contributed to the project.

What's Left to Do

Henderson still does not have a specific opening date for Veterans Park, but getting the baseball fields repaired is a significant step forward. There is still work to be done on the baseball side of the park, including fencing and installing scoreboards that were donated from minor league baseball teams. The concession stand and bathrooms also need to be repaired.Clark hopes that this project can bring some "hope" to the Swannanoa Valley. "We just want you all to feel love and a little hope going into the holidays," he said. Karrigan Monk is the Swannanoa Valley communities reporter for Black Mountain News, part of the USA TODAY Network. You can reach her at kmonk@blackmountainnews.com.