Honoring Family, Building Community: Reagan Pavilion Unveiled in Cortlandville

Wednesday evening, Town of Cortlandville officials, members of the Cortland community, and the Reagan family gathered at the Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the naming of the Reagan Family Pavilion.

Town Supervisor Greg Leach said the event was an opportunity to recognize the Reagan family and its contributions to the community.

Leach also highlighted the continued growth of the facility, recognizing the partners, town employees, and Parks & Recreation Director John McNerney who have contributed to the development of the complex and the Town of Cortlandville.

He said their hard work has helped make Cortlandville a wonderful place to live, work, and enjoy.

McNerney said the ceremony was important in recognizing the Reagan family and its support of the community.

Under the naming-rights agreement, the Reagan family—including Joseph and Laurie Reagan and their children, as well as John and Maryellen Reagan and their children—will contribute $30,000 to the Town of Cortlandville over the course of a five-year agreement.

The Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex has continued to grow year over year. McNerney said all Cortland County school districts use the facility for their baseball and softball teams, while neighboring districts in Tompkins and Onondaga counties also utilize the complex.

Since March, the facility has welcomed nearly 900 teams, ranging from NCAA and college teams to high school teams, Crown City Little League, travel baseball teams, and adult recreational softball leagues.

Weekend games hosted through Prep Baseball Report (PBR) have also brought teams from other states and countries to Cortland.

McNerney emphasized that the facility offers much more than baseball and softball fields. He said the playground sees constant use, while the cross-country trail, which connects with trails at Lime Hollow, is used by walkers and high school track and field teams.

“The Reagan Family Pavilion is an important asset to the park,” McNerney said. “It’s going to host all kinds of family reunions, birthday parties, school functions, [and] employee training throughout the year.”

McNerney said he is proud to see the support from the Reagan family.

X101 News spoke with Joe Reagan, owner of the Royal Auto Group, about what the facility means to him, his brother John, and their families.

“My brother and I grew up around Suggett Park, the Suggett Park Pavilion. And, you know, you need community spaces like this. And when you come out here, this place is absolutely amazing. Probably the best economic driver that we’ve seen in this community since I’ve been around, and that’s probably longer than what I want to admit,” Reagan said.

Speaking about the number of people the facility brings to Cortland for sports and recreation, Reagan pointed to the “Sportland” slogan created several years ago.

He said the park and pavilion mean a great deal to the community that he and his brother love and support.

“I’ve served on the Cortland Regional Sports Council with Joe, and over my years as Youth Bureau Director, he’s always been supportive of youth programs and family events. And he wanted to get behind Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex because he knows the impact it’s having on our local community, as well as the economic impact it’s having, and asked how he could help out,” McNerney told X101 News.

“During conversations with him, we discussed the naming of our pavilion and putting naming rights to that. And he liked the idea, and thus here we are today,” McNerney said.

As for continued development at the facility, McNerney said the next step is the implementation of a grant from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

The grant will fund shade structures, the planting of 50 trees, additional park benches, and landscaping improvements. Work also continues on the future development of additional athletic fields.

McNerney said the facility’s growth has been significant in recent years and expects that trend to continue.

“One thing that I’ve gauged over the years, since 2023 we had 500 teams. Each year we’ve grown by 200 teams. So 2024 we saw 700, 2025 we saw 900 teams, and this year we’re going over 1,000,” McNerney said.

“So each year continues to grow. It’s a state-of-the-art facility that folks want to play in tournaments here because of not only the state-of-the-art facility, but Cortland County’s central location, the ease to get around our community, and the competition that comes here. It’s a destination for top teams,” he said.