New baseball fields to be christened “Alpine Bank Youth Complex”

Leading local business donates $50,000 in support of the community effort

Durango, CO: Demonstrating its continuing commitment to the Durango community, Alpine Bank has stepped up with a $50,000 donation to Youth Baseball of Southwestern Colorado (YBSWC) in support of the new ball fields under construction adjacent to the Animas-La Plata project water transfer station in south Durango. When opened in late summer 2012, the fields will be christened the Alpine Bank Youth Complex.

“Alpine Bank has always felt investment in our community’s youth is the best investment we can make,” said Mike Burns, president, Alpine Bank-Durango. “We’ve had a shortage of ball fields in Durango, and the addition of this five-acre complex will support our local kids and allow us to hold youth baseball tournaments here at home, thereby furthering tourism and spurring the economy.”

Located off County Road 210 just north of Bodo Industrial Park, the new Alpine Bank Youth Complex will provide further access to “America’s pastime,” baseball, for the approximate 800 youth ballplayers in the region, plus provide a venue for additional community activities such as outdoor concerts and festivals.

The land, acquired for the Animas-La Plata project but now not needed for operations, proved suitable for construction of two youth baseball fields, including stands, parking, restrooms and a warm-up area. It has been essentially donated to Youth Baseball of Southwestern Colorado, now part of the nationally-sanctioned Little League of America, by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for a 20-year “lease” at $100 per year.

Early donors in the project have included Bank of Colorado, Peak Exploration and Production LLC and Mining Equipment Ltd. In-kind donations have come from the Animas La Plata Water Conservancy District, Weeminuche Construction Company and Goldman, Robbins and Nicholson, PC. The El Pomar Foundation also recognized the need for the project, awarding $25,000.

“It is amazing the enthusiasm this project has generated,” said Richard “Roskow” Roskowinski, YBSWC director. “And now with Alpine Bank stepping up in a funding leadership role, we look forward to completing the capital campaign.”
According to Roskowinski, some $50,000 additional dollars are needed for Phase I of the $300,000 project. Phase II will include lighting for the fields, estimated at an additional $200,000.

In addition to helping support a facility that will enhance baseball opportunities for Little League-age youth for generations to come, the Alpine Bank Youth Complex will serve as a memorial.

“These past few months have been a difficult period for Alpine Bank,” said Beth Drum, vice president, referencing the airplane crash that took three Alpine employees, Gena Rych, Tyler Black and Jan Measles Osborne, as well as her husband Steve Osborne. “We will be planting trees in their honor at the complex. It will be a lasting legacy.”

To learn more about the Alpine Bank Youth Complex, or to support the project with a donation to YBSWC, contact Roskowinski at 970.749.2331. Donations to YBSWC of all denominations are welcomed at PO Box 4046, Durango, CO, 81302.

Employee owned and operated, Alpine Bank has been a part of the Western Slope of Colorado for 39 years. With 37 convenient locations, they serve over 130,000 customers with retail, business, trust, asset management, mortgage, and electronic banking services. Many of the employees and managers have been with Alpine Bank for 10 years or longer. This dedication allows Alpine Bank to build long-term customer relationships. In fact, much of the original Board of Directors is still with the Bank, including Chairman Bob Young.