Sports have the ability to bring people together. It turns out that they also have the ability to bring organizations or institutions together.

An example of that ability is developing now at Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex north of Fort Dodge.

The sports complex, perhaps best known for being the site of the annual girls state softball tournament for more than 50 years, is a collection of softball, baseball and soccer fields owned by the city government. It includes four youth baseball fields that are replicas of Yankee Stadium in New York, Fenway Park in Boston, Wrigley Field in Chicago and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Iowa Central Community College is now becoming a partner in at least part of the sports complex.

Because of persistent drainage problems at Ed Barbour Field on the college’s campus, the Triton baseball team has moved to the sports complex. The season now underway is the college’s first spring season using Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex as its home field.

To support the Triton baseball team’s presence at the sports complex, a new baseball clubhouse is being constructed there. It will be paid for by the college, not the city taxpayers. It will also be owned and operated by the college. But the college will make the umpires room in the clubhouse available for use during the girls state softball tournament.

This baseball clubhouse arrangement is a reasonable and logical extension of the collaboration that has been growing between the city and the college. It joins other examples of partnership, such as the fire training tower on Avenue O.

City and college leaders should continue looking for ways to work together to benefit the whole community.