May 3, 2016
The Ahrens Baseball/Softball Complex received a nice face lift thanks to some new fencing, new field material, base systems, and a fresh coat of paint on all of the press boxes and dugouts for all eight ball fields this past fall and spring. Improvements to the complex were completed just in time for the Grinnell Youth Baseball and Softball Association’s (GYBSA) opening day on May 2nd which drew hundreds of players, coaches, parents and family members from the community.
The Ahrens Park Foundation invested approximately $96,000 for these facility improvements thanks in large part to a grant provided by the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation. “It has always been the priority of the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation to provide a significant amount of resources dedicated to the Ahrens Park Foundation to assure excellent athletic and recreational facilities here at Ahrens Park,” states Melissa Hull, director of community relations. Julie Gosselink, president and CEO, adds “the public will be seeing many more capital improvements being made to Ahrens Park over the next few years.”
The Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park was built in 1993 and named after the late founders’ Claude and Dolly’s son, the late Paul W. Ahrens, who passed away in 1989 at the age of fifty, and a friend of Paul’s, Jim Paschall, who also passed away at a fairly young age. Building a recreational park had always been a life long dream for both Claude and his son, Paul.
The Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park is home to eight youth softball and baseball fields, two outdoor basketball courts, two tennis courts, a sand volleyball court, three youth soccer fields, a golf driving range, several playground areas, three shelter houses, a sledding hill, and a one and a half mile outdoor walking path. Also located at the park is the Ahrens Family Center, the Grinnell Athletic and Recreation Center, and the offices for the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation, Ahrens Park Foundation, Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation, and Imagine Grinnell. The Iowa Park and Recreation Association Headquarters and Iowa Amateur Softball Association are located next door to the park. To reserve one of our three park shelter houses, please contact the Ahrens Park Foundation offices at (641)236-5518. Please view our calendar section to see current availability of our park shelters and other park events.
In 1997, the Ahrens Park Foundation was established as a private operating foundation, which owns and operates Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park. The Ahrens Park Foundation is dedicated to providing first class recreational and athletic facilities while collaborating with wellness, educational and recreational programs and organizations for the greater good of the community of Grinnell.
