The Perry County Board of Education held an official Ribbon Cutting April 5 for the new $2 million baseball field on the campus of Francis Marion High School.
The project was the vision of former Perry County Superintendent John Heard and brought to fruition under the current Superintendent Dr. Marcia Smiley.
Smiley told WAKA news “we allocated this amount because we wanted our students to have the opportunity to have a field here on campus. They don’t have to travel to be able to play. They can practice. And we will be able to have area tournaments.”
There is a concession stand, restrooms, bleachers, an electronic score board and even a sprinkler system. The only thing the new facility lacks is lights. They could not be installed because of cost overruns and other costs that were unforeseen.
The estimated cost for the lighting installation is $175,000.00. During the March 25 Perry CountyCommission meeting, State Representative Prince Chestnut presented the Board with $50,000 to go toward installation of the lights.
Perry County Commission Chair Albert Turner Jr. says he and Chestnut addressed the House Ways and Means Education Budget Committee and requested another $175,000 for the Board. The Chairman of the House Ways and Means Education Budget Committee, Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, agreed to place the request in the Lieutenant Governor Education appropriation budget.
Turner also reports he has contacted Sens Bobby Singleton and Robert Stewart to take up the matter in the Senate. The goal is to secure the funding for the lights and have them installed before next year’s season opens.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was held before the team’s first game on the new field against rival Greene County. Before they had this new field on campus, the Rams played all their home games at the city park.
The baseball complex is the first new construction on the Francis Marion campus since the construction of the Albert Turner Sr. campus gymnasium more than 20 years ago, according to Turner’s Facebook page.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.