Honorary 'Michelle Sullivan' Field Nearing Completion

In 1993, 12-year-old Michelle Sullivan was walking with some friends on Manchester Road when she was tragically struck and killed by a motorcyclist. This past September, during the 18th anniversary of her passing, the unanimously approved a project to rename the Manchester Park baseball field "The Michelle Sullivan Memorial Field at Manchester Park."

Now the project, which has been spearheaded by the Montville Baseball and Softball Association (MBSA), is nearing completion and the field will soon be dedicated in Sullivan's name.

"I'm very appreciative, my family and I are very appreciative," Theresa Sullivan, Michelle's mother, said. "It's a very, very nice gesture by the town and the MBSA. It's also kind of sad because it's right around the corner from where Michelle was killed, but we're very excited that we're able to give back to the town what they've given to us in support over the years."

About a year ago, the MBSA petitioned the town for permission to rebuild the field, according to Scott Van Koppen, president of the MBSA. While they were at it, they figured they might as well go the extra mile and make the field even more special by dedicating it to Michelle, who enjoyed sports and worked hard at her first love--softball.

"We started (the petitioning) about a year ago," Van Koppen said. "The first step was we approached the township, the (recreation) commission and the township committee about resurrecting this ball field. From there, when we thought we would have some ears that would listen, we went to Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan and asked them if it would be OK if we petitioned the town to name the field after their daughter."

The field had not been used "in the last number of years" and had "kind of been forgotten about," according to Van Koppen. The backstop had been taken down and, even though the infield dirt was still there, the park hadn't seen any action in a while.

"(The field) had been used, I’m in the town for 13 years and it was used before I ever got there," Van Koppen said. "Mens softball used to play there as well as younger baseball and softball players. As the field went into disrepair, they decided not to use the field anymore. They took out the backstop and the tennis court that was in there, so the field has been vacant for the last five or six years, maybe even more."

After Michelle Sullivan's passing, her family decided to create the Michelle Fund, which raises money and donates back to community-based organizations that support athletics and other endeavors in Montville.

"There's a number of events that happen throughout the year that help generate money for The Michelle Fund," Van Koppen said. "We run a softball tournament once a year,  that's a weekend tournament, which will be May 4-6 this year, and there's also a charity basketball game where the parents of (students) play against the parents of (students) to raise money."

The field, which was funded by the MBSA, the town and The Michelle Fund, is coming along nicely, Van Koppen said.

"We're to the point where the backstop is up, the infield is in the process of having additional clay put on it, the parking lot had been outlined and we're just waiting for the final blacktop sealant (to be) put on it and a fence is being resurrected around the parking area along with the sign," Van Koppen said.

Van Koppen and the MBSA are planning on having a dedication for the field. The group will invite the mayor, some township committee members, the recreation director who helped and, of course, the Sullivans. The plan is to have the field ready to go for The Michelle Fund's softball tournament in early May.

"We may do a ribbon-cutting followed by having a team actually play a game there," Van Koppen said.

Whenever "The Michelle Sullivan Memorial Field at Manchester Park" is ready to go, Montville residents will be waiting to hear those two words that can -- and did -- bring a community together: play ball.

"It was a perfect scenario in that the location of the field in relation to where Michelle was tragically killed," Van Koppen said. "The fact that the Sullivan family and The Michelle Fund do a lot for not only youth sports but community organizations in general, that was a nice way to give back and honor Michelle."