The Kiwanis Club of Des Moines and the 2008 Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute class are finalizing plans to build a specialized ballpark for handicapped children next to Principal Park.

It will be the first Miracle League project to be constructed in Iowa, said Diane Alford, the league’s executive director. Alford was one of the founders of the Miracle League Association, which built its first ballpark in Conyers, a suburb of Atlanta, in 2000. The nonprofit organization has since partnered with 200 communities to build similar projects, with 102 ballparks completed and 80 more planned or under construction. The fields are built with special rubberized, level surfaces to make them safe for players using wheelchairs, and the clubs play according to specialized rules that enable all kids to participate.

“We’re servicing over 80,000 children nationally,” Alford said. “That will increase substantially in April as more children register and new fields open. It typically takes between 18 and 24 months for a project to be completed, with an average cost of $250,000,” she said. Civic groups that partner with Miracle League receive a detailed manual with guidelines for forming a nonprofit organization, building the field and organizing fund-raising efforts.

The Kiwanis Club is still working out details for the project, with plans for a formal announcement within the next two weeks, said Bob Mitchell, a spokesman for the club. The Des Moines Plan and Zoning Commission is scheduled to consider approval of a site plan for the project, which calls for construction of a concessions building, bleachers and covered dugouts, at its March 6 meeting. The field will be located southwest of Principal Park along the Raccoon River, with access from the Riverpoint office park on Southwest Fifth Street.