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Proposed ballpark - 03:36 PM - March , 2010
Pelahatchie has big plans for 35 acres it hopes to purchase at the edge of town for a new recreational complex.
Mayor Knox Ross said the town aims to buy property at Grimes Street and Warren Avenue in the next week.
The town already has developed a master plan for the area to build four baseball diamonds, two T-ball ball fields, two soccer pitches, four tennis courts, a playground and an amphitheater.
The baseball and soccer fields will take first priority.
"We can't do it all unless pennies start raining from heaven, but we'd like to eventually do it," Ross said.
Because land at the back of the property borders a creek, the town wanted to make sure the land was appropriate for development into a recreational area.
Ross said he plans to go to Washington this month to seek more funds to "build out" this recreational complex, something not covered in typical funding mechanisms, he said. The money to purchase the property will be borrowed, he said.
One reason for selecting this site is its proximity to downtown. Town ball fields are currently located in Pelahatchie Industrial Park. Ross said that isn't an optimal setting. They are being moved because the county's new Juvenile Detention Center is being built at the site.
"In this place, you can bike or walk to the park," Ross said. "It will make its use far more than it is now."
Town Clerk Bettye Massey said she expects use to increase with the new location.
"The ball park right now is way out of town," said Massey, who lives near the site of the future park. "It'll be convenient for the children and the parents."
Massey said a grant is paying for a sidewalk to the park, and it's situated between the Pelahatchie Attendance Center and East Rankin Academy.
The park will be called Mill Town because it once was a housing district for workers of the old sawmill, Ross said. In that time, the mill propelled Pelahatchie into Rankin County's biggest city during the 1920s with about 3,500 residents, he said.
Ross said the sawmill burned in 1936, and he's unsure whether any remnants remain.
"I guess we'll find out when we start pushing around," he said.
The town is salvaging what it can from its former site, including fencing, lighting and even dirt. Ample dirt has to be moved to build the new detention center, so Ross has asked if it could be moved to the new ball fields' site, which will need heavy dirt work.
"It's located in a 500-year flood zone, so it's not good for houses or businesses, but it's dang good for sports fields," Ross said.
In the five acres near the creek, the town's hopes to build a lake, which the amphitheater will overlook, Ross said.
The master plan, drawn up by Engineering Service, includes about 400 parking spots.
"Because it's in more of a neighborhood-style setting, we want to have enough parking spaces," Ross said.
(From article in Rankin Ledger by Justin Fritscher)
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