The last thing a drowning man needs is more water.
And the last thing people in Lowndes County will need are baseball fields.
Within a 36-hour span, two local governments in Lowndes County, acting independently, voted to spend a combined $14.4 million to build 12 new baseball fields between two different locations.
On Monday, the board of supervisors approved a $12.3 million contract with West Brothers Construction for its new sportsplex located on North Frontage Road west of West Lowndes High School on an 89-acre site purchased by the county in 2018 for $890,000.
The plans call for a multi-use building, a playground, an entry gate and picnic tables and other furnishings, but the centerpiece of the project will be eight baseball/softball fields.
Tuesday, the Columbus City Council approved a proposal to add four new baseball/softball fields at Propst Park at an estimated cost of $2.1 million, as a part of a planned $25.8 million upgrade of the park. Did we mention the town of Caledonia also has baseball fields at Ola J. Pickett Park?
The decisions made Monday and Tuesday confirmed our worst fears of what could happen when the board of supervisors voted in 2017 to dissolve its partnership with the city for the Columbus Lowndes Recreation Authority.
While we don’t believe either government is acting spitefully, it is asinine that they are duplicating efforts.
Instead of two complexes that will complement one another, they will now compete for a dwindling number of ballplayers.
Neither facility will be competitive in the world of tournament play, either. Starkville’s $21 million Cornerstone Park will only be 30 minutes away and will offer many more amenities.
These independent efforts are wasteful, short-sighted and a missed opportunity to provide parks and recreation to a broad range of residents, whether they live inside or outside the city limits.
Columbus and Lowndes County both need to hit pause to give themselves time to coordinate efforts. Even if they are not working jointly as they did with CLRA, they can map out a strategy for recreation throughout the county.
Proceeding with current plans will fragment recreation and waste millions of taxpayer dollars.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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