Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Rogers Park grounds crew workers Tyrnan Lara and Drew Callon work on preparing the fields for the state tournament.

Lori Branderhorst is always thinking ahead when it comes to hosting the state softball championships at Rogers Sports Complex.

The long-time Fort Dodge parks and recreation director doesn’t take anything for granted in preparation for this week, which represented the 53rd consecutive year Fort Dodge has welcomed the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union and thousands of fans to town for the tournament.

Branderhorst takes both an introspective approach and a step back from a distance in her assessment of where the community stands with the event moving forward. The current softball contract between the city of Fort Dodge and the IGHSAU runs through 2025.

“Our business model for Rogers Park is constantly changing,” Branderhorst said. “We’re excited about where we’re headed in both our immediate and long-term plans. I think the most important goal is to bring the complex into the future while maintaining and preserving the history and tradition we’ve established over the last 50-plus years.

“We don’t want to lose the intimacy and the personal touches that makes the park so special, but we’re not going to rest on our laurels, either. Our dreams follow a path of both replacement, if needed, and expansion. I don’t like standing still. We’re always thinking bigger and better.”

On the immediate horizon is adding lights to the “Mini-Major” fields, which will diversify their value for both state softball and youth baseball tournaments. Branderhorst said hotel/motel tax money will fund lighting Dodger, Yankee and Veterans fields.

“This is not local taxpayer money — it strictly comes hotel stays,” Branderhorst said. “We’ll also improve the fields one at a time, with laser-grading, tiling and grass improvements as upgrades. The idea is to make the fields closer to what you see on Diamonds 1 and 2 (the championship locations for state).”

Yankee Field will also be retrofitted with high school dimensions and moved to where Wrigley Field is now.

“Again, that will benefit both state softball and youth baseball,” Branderhorst added.

There will be an extensive effort to bury powerlines around the complex in the year to come as well.

On the baseball side, Iowa Central Community College is piggybacking the momentum from the recent turf project by building a state-of-the-art clubhouse on Diamond 3. Both the Triton and Gael baseball programs will directly benefit from the expansion, which will be tucked under the bleachers on the first-base side. Eventually, a full grandstand is anticipated to surround the backstop area behind home plate on Diamond 3.

“The clubhouse is being built by the Iowa Central trades program,” Branderhorst said. “So again, no city taxpayer money will be used. It will be there for host teams, meet certain state softball needs, serve as a place for umpires to meet…utilized in a number of beneficial ways.”

Branderhorst aims to see the general infrastructure improve as the park expands.

“We will prioritize checking for better and more access points in and out of the park entrance and exit wise,” Branderhost said. “We’ll look at restroom and concession locations and spread amenities out more as we see fit, especially as Diamond 3 (baseball) attracts more activities.

“We have the land. Now it’s just a matter of mapping out and exploring how we can make things more user friendly for fans and teams visiting the park.”

The fall and winter months will be spent “planning and developing to maximize our potential for the next 5-10 years,” according to Branderhorst.

“We want Rogers Park to help drive the change and growth in Fort Dodge for years and even decades to come,” Branderhorst said. “It’s a special, unique place. We have so many reasons to be proud of where we are in 2022. The state softball tournament is our crown jewel. My hope is that we make the necessary decisions to keep it that way for future generations, so our kids and grandkids will be able to experience the same family environment we’ve been cultivating for as long as the park has been open.”

Sometime within the next four years, state softball attendance at the complex is expected to pass the one-million mark all-time.