One way or another, builders of the proposed Prospect Meadows ball fields will be given the land they need north of Marion, though details have yet to be worked out.

While Aug. 31 had been the target date for coming up with an agreement, it’s now been pushed back a month.

“There is no question that we will make it happen,” Linn County Supervisor Linda Langston said on Tuesday.  “It’s just a matter now of how to go about it. We are enormously supportive of the project. And we’re certain we can meet their construction schedule.”

A local non-profit group for almost two years has developed plans to construct a 17-diamond softball and baseball complex in the area to meet a growing demand for playing fields and to attract major tournaments.

The plan now calls for the $10.4 million facility to be built on 120 acres of county-owned farm land southeast of Highway 13 and County Home Road adjacent to the Abbe Center.  Developers have asked the supervisors to donate the land, saying it’s the only way to make the project financially feasible.  Private fundraising along with anticipated grants would be used to raise the rest of the money.

Construction is to begin next year with the first games being played in 2013.

“Our meetings with the board have been very positive,” said Marion businessman Richard Bice, one of the prime movers of Prospect Meadows Ball Fields. “We’re optimistic that it’s going to go through. There are no serious issues. It’s just a matter of timing.”

Langston said that while it’s not common for the county to give away land, it is not unprecedented. She cited the city of Cedar Rapids as deeding property for the Science Station and Czech Museum as examples of non-profit organizations getting similar donations.

The 120 acres of farm land has rented for many years for either pasture or row crops. Langston said annual income varies from a few thousand dollars to as much as $30,000.  She said the county has no long-range plans for the use of the property and that it would be a benefit if the property is developed.

“We see restaurants, gas stations, maybe even a hotel being built around the fields,” she said. “That would certainly build up the property tax base.”

It could also be a boon for the city of Marion if, as expected, it eventually annexes the land just north of its current borders.

Planners of the diamonds have stressed all along that the project holds great economic development promise as well providing quality of life benefits.

Langston said that while details of the land transfer are still being discussed, the current thinking is to have a two-year temporary arrangement until the gift is made outright.

“They would have rent-free use and control of the land, and it gives them a couple of years in operation to make sure it’s successful," she said. "This, we think, is a way to protect the taxpayers.

“This is an amazing project, and we want to do what we can to help. But we also feel it’s prudent to hold off until the operation is stable to make it final.”