If you build it, they will come. A simple adage that couldn’t be more appropriate for baseball players in the Beaver Valley region of the Columbia Basin. A diamond in the rough. From sandlot to standout. There’s no shortage of baseball puns, but the fact remains: there’s a new baseball diamond in Fruitvale —and it’s a true community gem.
McInnis Park at Beaver Valley Haines Park, just a ten-minute stroll from downtown Fruitvale, received much more than a facelift in the fall of 2024. The little league diamond was completely transformed from the ground up.
Originally built the mid 1950’s as a first-class baseball facility, it received a volunteer-driven upgrade in 1996 in preparation of hosting the Little League Provincials in 1997. This was at a time when the Canadian baseball pride was soaring high after back-to-back World Series titles by the Toronto Blue Jays in ’92 and ’93. Over time, McInnis Park had since become worn and in serious need of attention.
“The playing fields are in need of a major overhaul to improve irrigation, drainage and overall quality of the playing surfaces. Poor quality playing surfaces are a safety issue for youth players,” noted a representative from Beaver Valley Little League in the 2023 Beaver Valley Recreation, Parks and Culture Master Plan.
Located next to the Beaver Valley Arena and Curling Club, McInnis Park had become a garden for knee-high weeds, with an infield as hard as concrete. As the field deteriorated, registration in minor baseball declined—with only 54 players signing up in 2012.
That started to shift in 2020, when Columbia Basin Trust supported the community in upgrading the batting cages at Haines Park, sparking a renewed interest in the game.
“Our baseball facilities are for everyone, but we have always wanted to see more kids using them. At the end of the day, upgrades to these types of facilities are mostly for our youth,” says Marcus Partridge, Chief Financial Officer with the Village of Fruitvale.
In 2023, the Village invested $300,200 to further improve the park—including upgrades to the dugouts, fencing and the construction of a new covered pavilion. The result: registration numbers for minor baseball nearly doubled.
In 2024, an all-star collaboration between Columbia Basin Trust, the Village of Fruitvale through Beaver Valley Parks and Recreation and the Jays Care Foundation’s Field Of Dreams program made it possible to fully reimagine the McInnis Park. With insight from Jim Sevigny with the Nelson Little League Association who was successful in the 2020 Field Of Dreams Program, the final vision took shape.
“I first pitched the idea of upgrading McInnis Park after seeing an advertisement for the Field Of Dreams Program during a Jays game,” says Partridge. “Council was supportive, so we applied (once all funding was confirmed)—and a few months later, we got the call. We even hosted a community watch party for the official announcement. It was surreal and a lot of fun.”
The upgrades were extensive. After removing ten inches of compacted material and adding the proper base for drainage and compatibility, the field was leveled and covered with artificial turf. This modern surface requires no irrigation, fertilizer, herbicides or mowing.
“The entire surface is new. We’ve addressed safety concerns with a level playing field and eliminated water-use issues during our hot summers. Maintenance is now minimal,” says Partridge. “Village staff only visit once a month, instead of every week.”
Community interest is at an all-time high. With registration climbing past 100 youth in 2024, the challenge now is keeping eager young players off the field during the offseason.
More than a sports facility, it’s a symbol of community commitment and a field of dreams for the next generation of players, coaches and families.
