Cockeysville Man to Renovate and Expand Former Gerstung Facility

Cockeysville resident Alex Jacobs has been developing plans to renovate and expand the Gerstung facility on Coppermine Terrace, which he recently purchased.

He has renamed the building Coppermine Field House, and plans to offer innovative programs with enthusiastic instructors to attract young athletes and artists in the Baltimore area.

On September 24 and 25, from 9 a.m. to noon, Coppermine Field House will host an open house to showcase Lil’ Kickers, the first of its many new programs. It’s a developmental soccer program for kids ages 18 months to 9 years. The fourth floor houses a 5,000-square-foot indoor turf field to accommodate an expected 100 participants.

The open house will allow participants to sample the program and meet coaches Kanika Staten, a former Goucher College soccer player, and Alex Crespo, who played for the University of Delaware. Under their leadership, boys and girls will enjoy an 8:1 player to coach ratio for energetic play and competition.

Baltimore native and Coppermine Director of Youth Sports Heather Kormanik is especially enthusiastic about the program. 

“We know kids love soccer, and Coppermine loves kids,” Kormanik said.

Jacobs, a 38-year-old father of 7-year-old twins, is a former two-time All-American lacrosse player who has much experience coaching children of all ages. His interest in the Gerstung facility began when he “saw a need in this market for an all-encompassing place for athletic, after-school fitness and social programs.” 

The initial phase of the renovation will cater to kids 18 months to 15 years with its Lil’ Kickers soccer program, fitness boot camps, lacrosse training, baseball, gymnastics, dance and movement, art classes and birthday parties. 

Many of the programs and instructors for which Gerstung is renowned will remain. However, Coppermine Field House will also introduce new programs such as the Art Studio under the instruction of New Freedom Art. Art Studio classes, including Art Discovery, will teach kids 6 to 10 years of age techniques in drawing, painting, animation and papier-mache.

In its first phase of renovation, Coppermine Field House plans to unveil a 4,000-square-foot outdoor turf for training. Extensive renovations have already been completed inside.

Future plans also include a 9,000-square-foot expansion that would transform Coppermine Field House into a “one-stop shop for moms, dads and kids," Jacobs said. This second phase would see the construction of a facility to house an indoor and outdoor turf complex, health club and renovated aquatics. Jacobs added that he envisions a facility that would serve the entire family in ways not yet available to this area.

“You can see the passion he has and feel his excitement. He sees the growth potential,” Kormanik said.