Selma City Schools has asked the City of Selma to transfer ownership of Memorial Stadium and Bloch Park to the school system so that Selma High School can have a place to play home games.
School Superintendent Dr. Zickeyous Byrd sent a letter to Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. stating his “concerns about the ongoing delays in repairing the stadium and the consequences of those delays.”
Perkins presented the letter to the city council at their April 11 meeting, but no action was taken as the council focused on completing a request for proposal for a citywide surveillance camera system.
Byrd told the Selma Sun in a statement that discussion continues with the mayor and city council regarding a plan to purchase the stadium and Bloch Park that has a baseball field, and that the district is looking into costs for repairs needed and maintenance.
“The district is studying the costs of maintenance and upkeep and will consider those costs in future negotiations and discussions,” Byrd said.
Memorial Stadium has been in disrepair for years, and it was further damaged by Hurricane Zeta in October 2020 and the January tornado. As a result, “students and voters in this community have expressed their disappointments of not being able to compete in any baseball, softball or track/field sporting events at our local ‘home’ stadium,” Byrd said in his letter. “I am increasingly concerned that if we do not repair the stadium quickly, we will find ourselves in danger of not having any football games played in Selma during the upcoming season.”
The budget battles between the mayor and the council have made things worse, in Byrd’s view. “I understand that the City Council has defunded the Parks and Recreation Department due to financial concerns,” Byrd said.
“With this in mind and to avoid continued delays and approvals to the repairs of the stadium, I would like for you and the Council to respectfully consider transferring ownership of the stadium to Selma City Schools,” Byrd said.
“Such an initiative will be a win-win for the school district, the City of Selma, The Mayor’s Office, and the City Council,” Byrd said. “Through this proposal, we can offer appropriate facilities for our scholars, our families and our community.”
Byrd’s letter listed “pros” to his proposal for turning the facility over to the school system.
The municipality will no longer bear the responsibility and expenses related to the stadium.
The municipality will no longer be obligated to employ staff to maintain the stadium.
The municipality will continue to provide essential functions through sports recreation. This is still a duty to the citizens and children of Selma. Our children deserve to be able to participate in and witness sports in their local community and they deserve the support of their local community.
While the school district will own the stadium, Selma City Schools will continue the same existing levels of accessibility and use for citizens, schools and organizations in Selma.
The municipality will be able to save insurance money received from the storm damage and use the funding for other projects and needs.
The municipality will no longer have to carry the liability or maintenance of the stadium should the school district decide to build its own stadium, which is becoming an increased need.
By working together to accomplish this endeavor, we will demonstrate that we are indeed champions for the children of Selma... As we all should be.
The city’s parks and recreation department was unfunded in the latest version of the budget approved by the City Council. Perkins filed an injunction preventing that budget from taking effect. Neither the mayor’s office nor the city council will discuss their negotiations over the budget because of the pending litigation.
Get headlines from across the Black Belt in your inbox every day for free by signing up for the Black Belt News Network's newsletter here.
(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.