AMITE - St. Helena Parish is set to open its first baseball fields, giving local kids a place to not only play but dream big.

Over more than a decade, the parish has been working to develop the 5th Ward Recreation Facility, a 40-acre site located off La. 16 in Amite.

"We are making progress, it may not be as fast as some people would like to see but we are making progress," Executive Director of Economic Development Virginia Bell said Friday.

This facility already features a playground, a basketball court, a multipurpose center and a soon-to-open splash pad. However, the biggest advancement to come to the area is the forthcoming quad baseball complex.

"The primary focus of these 40 acres is these four fields with the concessions there in the center," Bell said.

There isn't a single designated place for children in the parish to play baseball. Even local schools don't have their own fields.

"We had to have something because right now they're in the backyards, they're places they shouldn't be," Bell said.

This would open the area up to tournaments, bringing in extra revenue to the underfunded parish.

"There's so few places that we have here, we have no hotels, no motels, no restaurants, nothing that generates tax dollars for us so we're excited this might help towards that end as well," Bell said.

Before the parish breaks ground on the fields, officials are working to get the rest of the funding from the state and other resources.

"We have a good chance, in my heart we have a good chance of getting those funds from baseball for tomorrow," Bell said.

Construction on the fields is expected to begin in 2026.