A report from a yearlong grant-funded study released Tuesday suggested the city and Lowndes County establish a shared “sports commission” to promote their parks facilities and events.
The commission would coordinate marketing efforts and promote events, as well as help secure private sponsorship and investment for city and county parks and recreation initiatives. It would launch a joint sport tourism branding campaign, along with a website and social media strategy dedicated to promoting both departments’ facilities and programs.
Per the report, the city, county, Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau, Main Street Columbus and “other key stakeholders” would each appoint commission members, who would then hire a staff marketing director. But it would not rejoin the city and county parks departments, said Russ Bryan, a landscape architect for Neel-Schaffer who served as project manager for the parks study.
“It’s not a consolidation of these departments,” Bryan told an audience of about 60 in the lower level conference room of Trotter Convention Center. “It is a third group.”
But fostering cooperation between the separate city and county recreation departments is critical to the future success of both, Bryan said.
“The competition around you – Starkville, Tupelo, Meridian, the Northport/Tuscaloosa area – they’re all a little bit ahead of us,” Bryan said. “The challenge is to find the best way to compete within that market. … We must work together and build consensus to compete in that market.”
Establishing the commission was the key finding in the parks study, which also suggested facility and programming upgrades for city and county parks, as well as ways for each department to play on the other’s strengths without competing with each other. Funded by a $97,000 United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant, representatives from Neel-Schaffer, DD Consulting and RE-Create QOL Consultants have worked on the study since February 2024. Part of that effort was hosting 14 stakeholder meetings to get community feedback.
If implemented effectively, Bryan believes Columbus and Lowndes County can emerge as “a major player” in the regional recreation space, which in turn creates jobs, grows the local economy and expands the tax base.
“The incentive is immense” for the county and city to work together, Bryan told The Dispatch after the meeting.
Baseball/softball facilities
For years, the city and county operated parks jointly through the Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority. That split into separate departments in 2017. Since, the county has built a $12.6 million sportsplex with baseball and softball fields off Highway 82 west of Columbus. The city is investing $4.4 million in an overhaul at its parks, with much of that money focused on baseball/softball field upgrades, as well as other improvements, at Propst Park.
If packaged together, Bryan believes the one-two punch of BankFirst Yards (the county sportsplex) and Propst Park could draw bigger tournaments regularly.
“I don’t think it’s overbuilt,” Bryan said. “… The tournament can be in both places.”
Recommendations
In addition to finishing projects already underway at various parks, the report recommended developing a fossil park along the Luxapalila Creek starting at Propst Park, a project for which the city has already begun pursuing grants. It also suggests improving the disc golf facilities “to pursue a championship-level experience” and renovating/repurposing the Propst Park train.
“We’ve identified a handful of options ranging from creating an art or cultural exhibit within the train cars all the way to a public-private partnership that could be an escape room within the train cars,” Bryan said.
Further, it suggests adding pickleball and cornhole facilities at Sim Scott Park and outfitting East Columbus Gym with the technology to support esports and virtual reality fitness. Lee Park could host outdoor art installations and live performances, Townsend Park could host pop-up events, such as food truck rallies and farmers markets and Northaven Woods could promote outdoor workshops focused on birdwatching or photography.
The city should also focus on adding blueways and paddle ways along the Luxapalila, Tenn-Tom Waterway and Columbus Lake, with access points along each. Through public-private partnerships, there could even be guided tours offered for the waterways.
“The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway is an underutilized natural resource,” he said. “It can offer more opportunities for water-based and ecotourism activities.”
On the county side, the study suggests adding a high school track and college baseball field at BankFirst Yards, an indoor facility with a golf simulator, courts and walking track, expanding programming at the horse park and adding diverse programming systemwide – from arts and crafts fairs to karaoke nights to esports tournaments.
It also recommended the county add an events coordinator to its staff.
Improving the spectator experience at BankFirst Yards, Propst and the soccer complex loomed large in the report, with recommendations for more parking, concessions, amenities and better accessibility.
“Improvements are being made for playability, you’ve got to remember that on average for every player that’s on the field, there are two or three family members (there),” Bryan said.
All of this creates opportunities for synergy and revenue.
As an example, Bryan said drawing 10 soccer or baseball tournaments with 24 teams each would generate 14 new local jobs, $422,000 labor income, add $786,000 to the area’s gross domestic product and raise $200,000 in local tax revenue.
But that wouldn’t be all.
“When somebody comes and plays a soccer tournament downtown at Roger Short (Soccer Complex), they see the amphitheater and they plan another weekend visit to Columbus to come to a concert,” Bryan said. “Or they see flyers for a race, and they’re a runner or a cyclist, they plan a second trip. Same thing at Propst Park. They’re there for … a baseball or softball tournament … and they see the offering of floating down the Lux or the Tombigbee, and they plan another weekend trip to Columbus.
“Sports tourism generates significant local spending,” he added. “… The winners there are obviously your local businesses, particularly hotels, restaurants and retailers.”
Reaction
Lakeysucha Bailey, of Columbus, lingered in the Trotter after Tuesday’s presentation looking over displays bearing the consultants’ findings. She agreed with the recommendations, but she was still skeptical about what happens next.
“I hadn’t heard the city and county say they’ll work together yet,” she said.
Same with Eric Thomas, a parent longtime coach for local youth sports. He was hoping for CLRA’s return.
“Tonight we’re good,” he told The Dispatch. “But the only way it’s going to work is if the city and county work together to benefit all children. We were stronger as a united entity.”
Both County Administrator Jay Fisher and Columbus Mayor Keith Gaskin thought the report was worthwhile and offered strong recommendations.
“Overall, not any total shockers in the recommendations,” Fisher said. “… They take money.”
Both even favored establishing the sports commission. Though while Fisher doesn’t see it as a harbinger for putting the CLRA back together, Gaskin hopes it is.
“I love the idea of the commission,” he said. “… I think (it) hopefully will eventually bring the departments back together. We’re too small to be separate, but you’ve got to take baby steps on that.”
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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