Former Major League Baseball pitcher Joe Thatcher has recently filed plans to construct a $5 million to $6 million training facility on city-owned parking lots located west of Grand Park Events Center.
The 62,000 sq. ft. building will house the operations of Pro X Development, a sports performance programming company founded by Thatcher and other professional athletes, including Rick Stiner, Jamey Gordon and Scott Charland.
The new facility will have two indoor baseball fields, and a 40-yard football field. It will be built by local firm Edge Rock Development on the site of a hotel project previously announced by Byrd Enterprises in 2015. However, construction was struck down as city officials were trying to fill a gap in the market. Instead, they wanted to build a training camp that would attract the Indianapolis Colts.
Edge Rock managing director Birch Dalton is currently negotiating a lease with the City of Westfield. If the local government approves the deal, ground will be broken in spring of 2018. Opening will then be slated for September 2018.
Aside from offering training, the new facility will specialize in rehabilitation of athletes. It will be operated by the existing owners and their partners, Bullpen Tournaments and Methodist Sports Medicine.
“What they are trying to achieve is to have a place where you can train in your sport to get bigger, quicker, faster, but also, if you get hurt, to have your rehabilitation there and get healthy as quickly as possible,” Dalton said.
Thatcher’s project will be discussed by the city’s plan commission in a public hearing scheduled Dec. 4.
