(Seguin) — The Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class wants to help spruce up the Seguin Little League Complex.
The class recently selected its leadership project for 2026. Class member Forrest Fletcher says the group has been learning more about what is happening in Seguin, which helped them determine how they wanted to best serve the community with their proposed leadership project.
“I’m one of 14 members. We come from all different areas, all different fields and backgrounds — coming together for one common denominator, which is to be educated and inspired to be the best leaders we can be. In addition to that, the synergy that I have noticed in our group is that all of us have a willingness to serve, and that’s something that’s very important, very critical, and a cornerstone of true leadership. Going through the process and through the program, we’ve been able to be educated on some of the nonprofit organizations here around Seguin, and we have many, many good ones. There are so many things going on around Seguin that I know our team is very proud of. Throughout that process and being educated, as a team of 14, we’re a large team and we wanted to try to come up with a leadership project this year that was conducive to the reach that we all had. So, we narrowed it down to one lone finalist, and that would be doing a renovation on the Seguin Little League fields,” said Fletcher.
Fletcher says the team liked that Little League serves so many kids in the area, with program participation of more than 1,300 each year. He says they are also a fixture in Starcke Park, which is another reason the class wanted to help make improvements at the Little League complex.
“One thing about the Little League Association here is that it is a nonprofit group, which is important. It does bring the community together, and it is in a central location in Max Starcke Park and has been around for decades. One of the primary benefits, and what was important to us, is that our reach was able to extend not only to the youth, but their families as well. Unfortunately, as we all know, we had some recent setbacks on July 5. We had some flooding that went on. It delayed our beautiful golf course opening up, flooded streets, and some homes were damaged. It also set back some things over at the Little League fields that maybe people don’t quite know about. And so that gave us plenty of opportunities to reach out and figure out some ways that maybe we could help inspire and do better for the Little League program,” said Fletcher.
The leadership group has an ambitious goal for its project. Fletcher says they have developed three separate packages, all designed to improve the Little League grounds.
“Package One will include dugout upgrades. That’s one of the main things they’re needing. That will include roof repairs. That will include a second field entry point to the fields, as they currently have to cross the fields to get off the field. That will include new bat and helmet racks. The ones that are there are currently in poor condition and are not large enough to house all the equipment that the children need to use. We would install new benches. Something else we felt was very important was elevating and raising the concrete slabs of those dugouts. One thing that we noticed is that when it rains, the sand runs into those dugouts, creating mud that has to be shoveled out. It makes for a very messy experience for the kids. In addition to those dugout upgrades, we would also do restroom remodels. Those restrooms are in dire need of it. We would install new fixtures and new paint to bring them up to current standards. The estimated required budget for that package is $60,000,” said Fletcher.
Each package includes additional work. Fletcher says it is all based on how much money the group raises to cover those expenses.
“Package Two includes everything we discussed in Package One. In addition to that, it would include new sports equipment. They had recently acquired new equipment last year, but unfortunately it was lost or damaged in the flood. So, we would be replacing what they lost. In addition to that, we would purchase mobile batting cages. The existing batting cages are in bad shape. We discussed the potential renovation of those batting cages with the Little League Association, and they opted for mobile batting cages instead, as they were more functional for what they needed on the fields. That increase is about $15,000, which would bring the estimated required budget for Packages One and Two combined to $75,000,” said Fletcher.
Fletcher says the class has three packages, but their goal is to complete all of the work.
“Package Three is truthfully what our large team is shooting for. We feel like we have the resources and the ability to get it done. It includes everything in Packages One and Two, and it also includes a Challenger League sponsorship. We want to show that we support and back all of the Little League programs. In addition to that, Little League is undergoing a press box renovation, but that does not include new press box equipment or a PA system. So, we would want to purchase those items and complete that renovation process. That is an additional $10,000, which would bring our total estimated budget to $85,000,” said Fletcher.
Leadership Class member John Huerta says they have a solid plan in place to raise the money necessary to complete the overall project. He says the group will host a golf tournament at The Bandit, with sponsorship opportunities and team signups now available.
“Our main fundraiser is going to be our golf tournament, which is scheduled for Thursday, March 5, 2026, starting at 8:30 a.m. We would have loved to have it at Starcke Park, but due to a couple of circumstances, we were unable to do that. That’s okay, though. There are various sponsorship opportunities ranging from $10,000 down to $300, with everything in between,” said Huerta.
Huerta says they expect to attract serious golfers, but they want everyone who participates to enjoy themselves while out on the course. He says the group plans to add a little extra fun to the day.
“While we’re out on the golf course, we’re going to have a couple of fundraising options. We’ll have Mulligan packages, tee-off funny songs, the Blue Ball Challenge, and spin-the-wheel activities. These different elements will make it a little more interesting, a little more fun, and more of an active entertainment-type experience, rather than being so serious on the course,” said Huerta.
The tournament will be held Thursday, March 5, at The Bandit Golf Course. Signup and sponsorship information is available on Leadership Seguin’s Facebook page or by calling the Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce at 830-379-6382.
