One dollar doesn't buy much in this tough economy.

However, the Hancock Place School District recently got a real bargain for a dollar — Heine Meine Field in Lemay.

The Lemay Baseball Association recently agreed to sell the nine-acre facility to the district for one dollar. In exchange, the association was given a no-cost, 99-year lease to continue its operations at Heine Meine. The district will handle the costs and maintenance of the facility. It will be the district's only outdoor athletic facility.

The agreement will start in the spring for the Hancock Place baseball, softball and soccer teams. The district had been renting the three-field facility for its home games.

"This is a very positive move for our community," Superintendent Kevin Carl said. "We don't have to build anything. It's a fine facility. It has a rich history in St. Louis. We have no plans of changing its name."

Heine Meine Field, 153 Lemay Ferry Road, was built in 1949. It is named after Heine Meine, a former St. Louis Browns pitcher who owned a nearby bar. The fields have been scenes of thousands of baseball games and tournaments over the years.

"I used to play there all of the time when I was a kid," LBA League Manager Mitch Fusco said. "It's a huge part of our community. Nothing is going to change as far as the association. We're still going to be scheduling games and tournaments."

The number of baseball games have been dwindling over the years. The association wanted to get away from the maintenance of the facility and concentrate on bringing in more leagues. One plan is to try and convince Hancock Place alumni to start their own teams and leagues.

As for the Hancock Place District, it will make the facility available for rental to outside groups for sporting events, including tournaments and home field scheduling. Bishop DuBourg Catholic High School currently uses Heine Meine for its home field.