Sports Complex gets new director

FORT MADISON – The Baxter Sports Complex is welcoming a new director.
In its 13th year, the complex is seeing some of its best numbers and new director Tad Lowary of Burlington has plans to make things even better.
Lowary has experience in sports management with a term as general manager for the Burlington Bees and a connection with Southeast Soccer Academy.
Lowary grew up, and continues to live in, southeast Iowa ,choosing to raise his family here.
He and his wife owned a Verizon retail outlet in Burlington and sold that, then worked five years with the Bees organization through the transition away from minor league baseball.
“I had seen the opportunity was available here and decided to go back into the sports management and facilities world,” Lowary said.
Board member PJ Marshall said Lowary was an attractive candidate because of his resume, but specifically the connection to Southeast Iowa Soccer Academy.
“We’ve tasked him with growing our soccer programs with his relationship with SESA. The tournaments they have in Burlington are huge. They have spillover onto fields in Burlington with Notre Dame and they go to Mediapolis, too. We’d like to see some of that program come south.
The Complex, now under its sixth director, had a very strong fall youth soccer program. Board member Larry Smith said the parking lot was full almost every weekend and credited the complex’s relationship with Fort Madison YMCA Executive Director Ryan Wilson, and USSSA softball, with keeping things hopping as far as programming at the facility on the city’s west side.
“Ryan’s taken a proactive approach to stir youth soccer again this year,” Smith said. “We had a huge Lee County soccer schedule in the fall. For weekends, we had a lot of double dipping with USSSA softball going on at the same time as soccer. We had that lot full every weekend in the fall.”
Smith said the complex is at about 70% capacity during peak times and has tasked Lowary with helping bring that number up a bit and getting more utilization of facility space during downtime.
“We did stream Bloodhound football for away games a few years back and we had decent turnouts for that on Fridays,” he said. “We’ve done some other social type events.”
Lowary said maybe bringing in a movie night for youth that participate in events on the fields and other outside-the-box thinking could be in the works. But he said generating more community engagement by reaching out to area groups will help frame those ideas.

“We’d like to bring in some different types of events and tournaments and whatever we can come up with,” he said. “The last director had talked about ultimate Frisbee, different small site soccer tournaments, and those types of things."
“I’ve talked about some different facility events, not necessarily sports related. Movie nights and things that can use different areas of the facilities. Get kids out for those types of things. Whatever we can do to get more people out here at the facility.”
He said he’d like to expand marketing a little further outside the typical area because there is collaboration that can happen with the right connections.
“There’s overlap with Burlington and it would be great to grab some expansion of those events here. And I’m hoping to come up with different ways to get out in the community and take part in other events that aren’t necessarily happening here,” Lowary said.
Marshall said the sports complex needs to be more engaged with the community on a regular basis and share what is happening..
“It’s enough  to put it on the calendar and expect people to be here, but we need to get out in the community and promote those events. We promote heavily on social media, but getting out to the social clubs and that kind of thing is important, too,” he said.
The complex is home to the Fort Madison Lady Hounds' softball program, but Marshall said due to the fence, which is deeper than regulations for the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union, they can’t hold post-season play there. Fort Madison always has to travel.
He said the answer to that is a $30,000 permanent removable orange fence that the board is looking for donations to help purchase. That would allow the Lady Hounds to play post-season in Fort Madison and generate some additional revenue for the complex to help maintain the fields.
The complex does do fundraising throughout the year including sponsorships for holes at the annual Big Cup golf outing, and through sponsorship boards along property fencing. Boards are $1,000 per year and the cost of making the boards is waived with a 3-year commitment.
The golf outing is the second biggest revenue generator. The last two were comparable to the revenue received from the boards which helps maintain facilities, programs, and staff, but doesn’t leave extra room for purchases like the fencing.
Lowary has worked with area high school athletic directors and coaches in collaboration with play at Community Field in Burlington and his children have been involved for years in youth sports, including YMCA recreation leagues and SESA soccer.
His son plays soccer for Burlington Notre Dame and got to play at the complex last season. He said everything looks well maintained and Baxter’s has a solid foundation as far as the grounds and facilities.
Lowary said he looks forward to meeting more of the Fort Madison community, working with local groups on projects, and getting out to talk about the BSC programs.
He can be reached by phone at 319-372-2932 after 10 a.m. weekdays or by email at baxtersportsdirector@gmail.com.