Commissioners to Conclude Ball Fields Project

With the approval of their resolution at their March 10th meeting, the Board of Commissioners will be funding the remaining amount of work required for the Clear Creek Ball fields from their SPLOST funds. This became a topic for debate in the county as Dallas Miller spoke against a budget amendment and also voted against it saying, “You can have my salary, I don’t care.”

With the 2-1 split vote, Dallas Miller answered his own comment and stated he appreciated and wanted to go ahead with completing the ball fields, but as he said in his comment, he voted in effort to find another way to fund it besides adding extra funds to it from the county’s finances.

While the Commissioners were hopeful the original budget would have been enough, Chairman Paris stated he had always expected some extra funding would be needed. He also noted that with well over $650,000 dedicated to the project that he could recall, that was all donated proceeds and the County itself has added very little to no funding to the project as a whole. With this amendment, the county has now added $70,000 to the remaining $34,500 in the project budget to cover the expected $100,000 remaining work.

The majority of tasks left involve roofing several dugouts, laying concrete around the concessions and driveway, and sodding the fields. As the sod goes down, it will require another two to three weeks to set before any games can be played.

The completion of the concessions stand, bathrooms, and press box also leaves room for two unused rooms that can be multi-functional and a space for a heating and air systems in the future.

Commission Chairman Charlie Paris further assured citizens that, though it won’t be at the beginning of the season, he expects we will be seeing games played on the Clear Creek Ball Fields this year, going so far as to say, “I’m gonna have a ribbon cutting in April. It may be April 30th, but I am going to be cutting that ribbon in April.”

Chairman Paris stated this was an expected shortage since November for the Commissioners, but he wants to complete the project as promised to the citizens.

This project has become an eight-year project since its first inception going through the initial funding that was dedicated from the sale of the GO Bonds that was redirected to other projects, then revitalized with fund raisers such as State Funding of $560,000 garnered by Speaker David Ralston.

The project will finally reach conclusion this year. However, there are still projects on the fields for future consideration such as paving the parking lot or, according to Chairman Paris, a possible location for a future pool that citizens have also been requesting.