WILLIAMSPORT, LYCOMING COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Welcoming the world to Williamsport for the Little League World Series, it's a yearly staple as the city is the birthplace of the program. A new facility being built will keep the love of the sport going all year long.
What used to be a vacant lot right along Interstate 180 in Williamsport is now an active construction site, looking to bring more ball games to Lycoming County.
"We are in the process of building a seven-field youth baseball and softball complex, with one collegiate-sized baseball field. It’ll be a 400-ft fenced field," stated Jason Fink, President/CEO of the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce.
The project called ‘Williamsport Lumber Yards’ broke ground across 28 acres back in December.
In addition to fields, the site will have a playground, concession building, and dining area, with a total cost of the facility coming out to around 24 million dollars.
Concrete dugouts can be seen popping up as construction progresses for its seven fields. Those of which will be synthetic turf, allowing play from February all the way to November.
President and CEO of the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber, Jason Fink, says this will be another attraction to make the city a destination for visitors.
"We’ve got the community that supports youth baseball and youth softball, and the numbers that they’re projecting are pretty significant. They’re looking at numbers somewhere in the neighborhood of 400,000 coming through the gates annually," explained Fink.
Those numbers match the ballpark of visitors the Little League World Series sees each year.
Fink says growing up in Williamsport, this adds to the appreciation of living in an area known worldwide for a sport and a passion they can pass down.
"My kids played sports, played baseball, played softball. It’s one of those things where being able to make this available for future generations because this is a long-term investment in our community," said Fink.
The project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2026.
The local chamber of commerce says they’re looking for businesses to sponsor ‘Williamsport Lumber Yards.’ You can stop by their office on West Fourth Street in Williamsport or reach out if you’re interested.
