This paper has used a lot of ink on its opinion page to caution against the current proposal of adding more baseball fields to Propst Park, which is the current centerpiece of a $3.4 million plan for the city’s largest park.

At first, we were hesitant to write again on this subject, but the reasons to continue writing keep mounting.

Two weeks ago, Ward 3’s Rusty Greene was the lone voice against proceeding with funding the plan; this week, his motion to table the issue was backed by Ward 4’s Pierre Beard and Ward 6’s Jacqueline DiCicco. Mayor Keith Gaskin broke the 3-3 council vote, siding with Greene’s motion to table.

We were encouraged to see more councilmen and the mayor express concern in Tuesday’s meeting.

The current plan is unimaginative, poorly conceived and it fails to address a major issue that Columbus Parks Director Greg Lewis brought to light during a council meeting earlier this month: poor maintenance at Propst Park.

In that meeting, Greene said, “It’s the maintenance that’s the problem. We have playable fields and the room already, we just don’t take care of it is the problem.”

Lewis didn’t disagree, saying, “We are known for being given facilities but no money to maintain it.”

Has the council considered the additional budgeting that will be required to properly maintain these new fields, or are we content to allow these fields to deteriorate like the old fields due to poor maintenance?

Let’s pump the brakes and consider a proper maintenance plan and maintenance budget before we add more. Let’s make sure the new Propst Park will be what we all want it to be: the Crown Jewels of the city’s park system, one that can help unite a large and diverse segment of Columbus.

Instead, we have Ward 2 councilman Joseph Mickens ignoring concerns and saying the city should move forward with the present plan because he was tired of “kicking this can down the road.” Surely we can find a better justification to spend $3.4 million than that.

Ward 5’s Stephen Jones asked, “Why wait?” and proposed spending the $1.4 million the city has on hand while figuring out the best way to borrow the remaining $2 million.

We have an unfinished amphitheater that stands as an answer to Jones’ “why wait?” question and as a warning of what happens when unfunded plans fall through or priorities change.

We continue to doubt the wisdom of adding the new fields at all though:

n There is nothing to suggest demand for new ballparks exist. According to Lewis, Propst Park has seven teams playing baseball. Six fields currently exist at Propst.

n Starkville is building a $20 million baseball/softball complex, and Lowndes County is building a $12 million baseball complex. Even if the current Propst plan is fully funded and built, it will be the most inferior of the large baseball parks in the area.

n League baseball is a break-even effort money-wise. The city should get out of the league baseball business and let the county take it on.

n Such a heavy emphasis on baseball and softball only addresses a narrow slice of recreation interests for the community.

n The history of poor maintenance of Propst Park – from both a budgetary and operational standpoint – must be addressed before any plan is implemented.

We believe this delay may be an opportunity for the city to reimagine what can be done at the park to expand and enhance recreation rather than being a poor imitation of what’s already being done in Starkville and Lowndes County.

We agree with Beard, who noted the city will collect $4 million in tourism tax for recreation over the next 10 years.

“So much more can happen in Propst Park with $4 million for the whole community, not just for one segment of people,” he said.

Let’s expand our vision on what a great public park is. Let’s look to Shelby Farms in Memphis; Piedmont Park in Atlanta; The Gathering Place in Tulsa; Millennium Park in Chicago; and St. Louis’ Laumeier Sculpture Park.

These parks marry activity with art, landscaping, history, geography. They provide multi-use spaces that appeal to a wide range of people, not just to a single sport.

Tuesday night’s tabling is an opportunity to take a fresh look at Propst and what it can mean to the community.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.