A variety of Hennepin County youth sports facilities are in line to receive $2.5 million of revenue generated by the Twins ballpark sales tax, according to a list of projects recommended Tuesday to county commissioners for funding next year.

The projects, as recommended by the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission, cover most corners of the county and range from $10,000 for two T-ball fields in Corcoran to $345,000 for lighting for two fields in St. Anthony.

Although the commissioners may make changes in the list before they vote on it next week, it appeared Tuesday that most were satisfied that the recommendations were solidly based on criteria that included financial need, dollar matches by governmental partners, and the ability locally to keep the facilities open and running.

"It's a good list," Board Chairman Mike Opat said. "I'm sure not everybody is pleased -- of the 38 projects that were submitted, about half will receive some awards -- but they're spread out and they're significant, and I think they're in the spirit of what we set out to do when we started this."

The Youth Sports Program is funded with a portion of the 0.15 percent countywide sales tax enacted in 2006 to help pay for Target Field. The legislation enables Hennepin County to use excess revenue to extend library hours and to build or renovate facilities for youth and amateur sports.

Money already has been allocated to keep the libraries open longer. This is the first round of ballpark funding for youth sports.

The board decided to cap funding at $2.5 million, and it will accept applications for a second round of $2.4 million early next year, with another round expected in late 2010. Projects that failed to make the cut this time may resubmit applications.

The 18 projects slated for funding are found in a dozen communities including Minneapolis. Most of the facilities are for football, baseball, softball, soccer and hockey, but two playgrounds in Minnetonka and locker rooms in Rogers also would be built or improved.

Changes in youth sports

A couple of projects that suggest a change in youth sports interests are located in Brooklyn Park, where $435,000 is recommended to convert two baseball fields into soccer fields.

County officials solved the problem of deciding how to divvy up the money by hiring the Amateur Sports Commission, which oversees the National Sports Center in Blaine.

Steve Olson, the Sports Center's chief operating officer, told the board that the criteria used to decide awards were a mix of subjective and objective measures similar to those used in Mighty Ducks ice arena funding -- a state program that funded winter sports facilities for youth in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Only local units of government may apply for the funding, although partnerships between local government and nonprofit sports groups are encouraged. If bigger cities had any advantage over smaller cities in the process, Olson said, it was that they have experience with filling out grant applications. He said officials are willing to help smaller cities with their applications.

Commissioner Jan Callison, who had urged that the grants not be based solely on financial need, said she was generally satisfied with the recommendations. Her district in the western suburbs, which includes some of Hennepin County's wealthiest suburbs, is slated to get money for the Minnetonka playgrounds and an outdoor ice rink in Wayzata.

"I think they've done a good job with a pretty tough issue, figuring out a rational way to divide up the funds," she said.

Kevin Duchschere • 612-673-4455