STARKVILLE — The crack of baseball bats and the roaring of fans have filled baseball fields across the country since the end of March.
But Cornerstone Park is still only filled with the sound of construction with Mayor Lynn Spruill now pushing for a “soft opening” in late June.
At Friday’s work session, Brandon Doherty updated Spruill and aldermen on Cornerstone Park and the delays that have prevented the complex from opening this season. He said the current delays are mostly caused by bad weather, which has stopped concrete and asphalt from being poured.
“I would say, probably 70% of the concrete is done, and I would tell you probably 15% of the asphalt,” Doherty told The Dispatch after the meeting. “The only part of the asphalt that got put down was up and around the walking track.”
Cornerstone Park, located on Highway 25, will be a baseball and softball-focused recreation facility with three “quads” of 12 fields. Ward 2 Alderman Sistrunk said the city is using $22 million in bonds to fund the project. Those bonds will be repaid with collections from a special 1% tourism sales tax voters approved shortly before work began.
Doherty said bad weather is preventing Quad A from being finished, along with the last few concrete paths and parking lots paving.
Other parts of the park, Doherty said, are nearly ready to open. He said Quads B and C are nearly complete, awaiting final touches. He also showed the board photos of the almost completed pavilion, concessions facilities, signage and more.
“We’ve got the turf field. We’ve got our logos. We’ve got our dugouts. All of the canopies are up,” Doherty said. “… Everything in this quad is basically 95% complete. It needs to be cleaned, it needs to be leveled, but otherwise it is complete.”
But one other crucial element is still missing from Cornerstone Park. A statue commemorating the Starkville native James “Cool Papa” Bell still hasn’t made it to its permanent home in front of the pavilion. Doherty said it will be installed “closer” to opening.
Ground was broken in Cornerstone Park in August 2020, with the opening tentatively planned for summer 2022. The opening date has been repeatedly pushed back due to COVID-19, heavy rainfall and supply chain issues.
“We appreciate their patience,” Spruill said. “We have all been chomping at the bit. And once it gets here, we hope they have a facility that was worth waiting for.”
But delays have already taken a toll. After the meeting, Doherty said there have been “at least 10” baseball tournaments canceled for this spring due to the delayed opening.
Though the tournaments were given the option of moving to the Sportsplex, Doherty said many “wanted to wait.” Only two decided to divert to the Sportsplex, but one was rained out.
Doherty gave a “conservative” estimate of $3 million to $5 million of economic impact from the cancellations.
“For us to operate, it’s a huge revenue stream,” Doherty said. “Not having that revenue stream has caused us to be very careful with what we’re spending. We’re hoping that we can make some of that ground up this summer and early fall, but we’re kind of past that season piece. … But the good news is, people still want to come.”
Doherty said he is still negotiating with other organizations to book tournaments for the summer and fall, like Grand Slam, Under Armor Championship Series, Perfect Game and the United States Specialty Sports Association. But all of those negotiations depend on the park being completed.
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