Call it the Propst Park Paradox.

The first shovel of dirt on the planned $4.4 million project hasn’t been turned, but it is already in a hole.

During Tuesday’s Columbus City Council meeting, the second round of bids were opened for the synthetic turf installation and fencing for the park’s ball fields. They were far higher than budgeted and the first found of bids. What was budgeted at $1 million will now cost $1,473,600 (a 47% jump) after the council approved one of the first bids.

In an instant, the $1.4 million the city had in hand is gone. Whatever the next step will be, it will begin eating into the $3 million the city has borrowed for the project.

With the very first step of the project, the city is already scrambling to cover unanticipated expenses. One of the ideas floated to help cover the cost overrun for the fencing was to use the $250,000 set aside for maintenance and hope for a grant to cover the balance. Poor maintenance is one of the reasons that Propst Park has deteriorated to its current state. In fact, when Ward 3 councilman Rusty Green noted in April that Propst Park’s major problem was lack of maintenance, parks director Greg Lewis said, “We are known for being given facilities but no money to maintain it. … This time we’re going to have money to maintain it.”

So much for that.

At the risk of being labeled pessimists, we continue to make the argument that the entire plan is short-sighted and destined to fail. As soon as the project is completed, the city’s baseball and softball fields will be the most inferior ball complex in the area. (In October, the county hosted a soft opening for its $12 million baseball/softball complex just 7 miles away from Propst.) Additionally, league sports are a break-even operation at best. The city would have been better off to leave league baseball and softball to the county.

Instead of reimagining (and properly maintaining) a park dedicated to providing new and unique recreational opportunities, city leaders continue to cling to an outdated view. It’s as if our city leaders saw a failing park and decided, “Let’s fail some more.”

City leaders bristle at this characterization, pointing out that the plan does include other amenities – improvements to the playgrounds, the splash pad, installing pickleball and tennis courts, upgrading the lighting at the Field of Dreams and upgrading existing pavilions as well as upgrading seven community centers within the city.

But you have to wonder how many of those amenities will be shelved if bids continue to exceed budgets. All we know is that the city is 0-for-1 in bids coming in at or under budget.

There is already suggestion that some of the elements of the baseball/softball fields are on the cutting board, but there is likely to be only so much fat that can be trimmed before the vision for the park, misguided as it is, will be significantly compromised.

The average lifespan of an artificial turf field is eight-to-10 years. Where will the millions to replace the turf come from then?

But sufficient to the day are the evils thereof, as the scripture tells us – a worry for another day. Unfortunately, there are likely to be many, many more urgent worries connected to the project before that day arrives.

The saying goes that if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you should do is stop digging.

Tuesday’s council action is a message that the digging will continue.

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

READER FAVORITES

• 

  Slimantics: The recycling game has changed a bit

  By Slim Smith • 1 day ago

• 

  Roses and Thorns: 7-18-26

  By Dispatch Editorial Board • 9 hours ago