The Story Behind the Name: Hangge Fields at Monarch Park

Last week we wrote about Niwot native Royce Johnson and how in 1974 he made land available to the Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Boys Baseball, Inc., a non-profit organization now known as Niwot Youth Sports, as a site for "temporary" ballfields. The "temporary" Johnson Fields were used continuously for over 20 years until homes were built on Christopher Court in the Johnson Valley Subdivision in 1994.

Ultimately, land that Johnson had donated to Boulder County for a park known as Left Hand Valley Grange Park at the corner of 83rd Street and Niwot Road became home to a ballfield built by volunteers with Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Recreation Association, or GLVRA, as the original organization became known after adding a girls softball program in 1978.

But the growing baseball and softball programs needed more fields to accommodate all of the players in the area. In 1984, what was believed to be the impending loss of the three Johnson Farm fields made finding a permanent field site imperative.

Ben House, who owned 160 acres west of 79th Street, between Highway 52 and Monarch Road, approached Boulder County with a proposal to develop his property, which included an offer to build two ball fields on an 8-acre site to be donated to Boulder County and leased to GLVRA. House and developer Doug Tiefel also offered to donate 100 acres of Open Space to Boulder County if they were allowed to build 22 acres of light industrial buildings on the southwest corner, and add several homes along 79th Street and Monarch Road.

Boulder County Commissioners approved the offer by a 2-1 vote, and as a result, the ballfield site was acquired along with the 100 acres of Open Space, one of the first parcels acquired by Boulder County.

The growing program needed more than the two fields to be built by the developer, however. GLVRA directors proposed an arrangement whereby the developer would grade the entire ball field site and purchase the materials for four backstops, while GLVRA would construct the four backstops with volunteer labor. The developer agreed, and work began.

The fields were gradually improved with dugouts and bleachers, but remained all dirt until December 1993, when a water tap was donated by Left Hand Water District and an irrigation system and sod were added to three of the four fields.

In 1994, as part of the Boulder Tech Center replat, two additional ballfield site easements were granted to Niwot Youth Sports, Inc., just west of the existing fields.. Construction of the two new fields began in 1999 with removal of old fencing and installation of irrigation pipe in the ditch which divides the fields.

Following the failure of a recreation district proposal at the polls in 2000, the "Dream of Fields" campaign was organized in 2001, an effort which raised $40,000 to complete the ball fields at Monarch Park. In 2002, Niwot Youth Sports sought and obtained Special Use approval from Boulder County to complete the fields.

An irrigation pond was built east of the existing Monarch Fields in 2002 to allow use of ditch water for all ballfields at Monarch Park, and to allow grass to be added to the remaining dirt field as well as the new fields.

The two new fields were graded and backstops were erected in 2003 to accommodate both baseball and softball for younger players when use of two Niwot Elementary School fields built by NYS was suspended due to the drought, and later turned over for use by a soccer program.

A cooperative effort with Boulder County and Shepherd Valley Waldorf School led to the efficient use of irrigation water for the Monarch Fields in 2009. An anonymous donation in 2009 allowed grass and sprinklers to be added to the fourth original field at Monarch, with additional improvements to the parking area and irrigation system.

In 2011, Hangge Fields at Monarch Park were named in recognition of Gunbarrel Estates resident Gregg Hangge and his family's outstanding dedication to Niwot Youth Sports programs and facilities. Soon after moving to Gunbarrel, Hangge volunteered as a coach with the NYS basketball program in 1988, and soon became Basketball Director, serving in that capacity for many years.

He also became the Director of Fields for the baseball and softball programs, and served in that role until his retirement from the board of directors. Hangge coordinated every major ballfield construction project for NYS since 1988, with the assistance of his wife, Karen, and his children, Joe, Jill, Jon and Jake. "Gregg would order materials for a project, and get a crew of volunteers together with instructions to report at 9 a.m.," Biff Warren recalled. "By the time we got there, Gregg had everything laid out, staged and oftentimes half-done, since he had been there since 7 a.m."

The Hangge family also took on the job of maintaining the ballfields for NYS, which they continued to do for many years after the Hangge children had graduated from the NYS programs.

Gregg Hangge continued to coach baseball and basketball in the NYS program throughout his children's playing days. Joe Hangge was a member of Niwot's 1997 Legion C State Championship baseball team, and Jon Hangge was part of the baseball program at Niwot High when NHS earned its last state championship title 2005. Jake Hangge is currently an assistant baseball coach at Frederick High School.

Without the efforts of Gregg Hangge and his family, NYS would not have the outstanding ballfields the players today enjoy.