Opening ceremonies are being planned for a soon-to-be completed sports complex. The Columbus Soccer Complex, located in the Burns Bottom area near downtown Columbus, is scheduled to be completed Aug. 21. The soccer complex will open Sept. 22.
“We plan to hold a parade of athletes and have all of the county and city officials join us for the opening ceremonies,” Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority Executive Director Roger Short told his board members Monday night.
Short said a meeting is planned today with Kevin Stafford of Neel Schaffer engineering firm and city and county officials to discuss the final cost for the estimated $4.2 million facility.
“We are hoping there will be some money left over,” said Short. “If so, we would like to try and use some of the money to help place the scoreboards on the two football fields. We need to run electricity there and it will be probably cost between $12-$15,000.
Board president Scott Hannon said most of the landscaping has been completed on the facility.
“Really, all that is left is to finish the overlay and to do some striping,” said Hannon.
Short said the next phase of the project will involve non-contract work such as placing the bleachers, flag poles and goals and goal posts in the proper areas.
“We’re not going to have a lot of bleachers,” Short said. “We will have a few around the soccer fields and we will some more around the two football fields. We also have benches ready to go for the field, as well.”
CLRA banners are being placed along the 70-plus acres of the park. The Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau is also planning to place banners in the facility.
The project is a joint effort between the City of Columbus and Lowndes County.
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 25 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.