FORT SMITH -- Sebastian County approved more than $3.3 million last week to resolve longstanding issues at two of its parks.
The Quorum Court approved Tuesday allocating the money for projects at the Ben Geren Softball Complex and Torraine Lake. The work will entail new bathrooms at the lake and upgrades for the softball complex, the latter of which will include a project meant to address ongoing drainage issues at eight of the 10 fields.
Jay Randolph, county park administrator and golf course superintendent, said Thursday the softball complex upgrades will allow the fields to handle influxes of water significantly better than they do now, making them easier to maintain and prepare for play after a rain event. This will pave the way for more tournaments to be held at the facility, thus bringing in more people and, by extension, money into the county.
Randolph said many people already use the complex. Mike Bock, president of the Sebastian County Girls Softball League, said his organization regularly has 38 league teams comprising more than 400 girls who play there.
The complex is a part of the county's Ben Geren Regional Park in Fort Smith. Randolph said the park is on what used to be Massard Prairie, which is flat and slow to drain water from heavy rain. Drainage improvements to the original eight fields over the past 50 years of their existence don't move water the way they did before.
Randolph said water also runs downhill from fields 3-6 to fields 7-10, flooding the latter even further. The drainage issues have caused the complex to miss out on play in the past.
County Judge David Hudson said Tuesday the softball complex was implemented through a federal grant in 1972. The county has replaced all the light fixtures and poles at the complex since 1972, with other facilities there also being upgraded and renovated.
Engineers with the Van Buren-based firm Hawkins-Weir Engineers provided the Quorum Court an overview for an approach to develop a drainage system and plan to upgrade the original eight fields in July, according to Hudson. The Quorum Court went on to fund the engineering fees to develop the plan, which was finished this year.
A May estimate from Hawkins-Weir put the construction cost for the drainage project at more than $2.8 million. This includes money for sodding and irrigation for the eight fields, fine grading and infield conditioning, new fencing, demolition of the concession stand and restroom facilities and sidewalks compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Hudson's report for Tuesday's meeting said additional money was needed to cover the irrigation. The upgrades to the complex will also include new bleachers and installation of and adding utilities for a new restroom and concession stand. All these elements puts the estimated cost for the project at more than $3.2 million.
Bock expressed appreciation after the meeting for the Quorum Court appropriating the money. He said the softball complex needs to be updated and believes doing so will bring in more teams to play. The drainage issues and restroom facilities are among the biggest complaints about the complex.
Hudson put the total cost of installing a two-stall restroom with sinks and utilities at Torraine Lake at $119,961.
Randolph said Torraine Lake is surrounded by a half-mile walking trail that's part of Ben Geren Regional Park's trail system and connects to other trails in the adjacent Chaffee Crossing. It's a popular place for people to exercise, but it doesn't have a restroom that's accessible within a couple of miles.
Players on the River Valley Rippers 12U softball team practice on Thursday, June 23, 2022, on field no. 2 at the Ben Geren Softball Complex in Fort Smith. The Sebastian County Quorum Court approved an ordinance Tuesday appropriating more than $3.3 million for upgrades to the Ben Geren Softball Complex, as well as a new restroom at Torraine Lake. The upgrades to the softball complex include a project designed to resolve drainage issues present at the original eight fields there. Visit nwaonline.com/220626Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Players on the River Valley Rippers 12U softball team practice on Thursday, June 23, 2022, on field no. 2 at the Ben Geren Softball Complex in Fort Smith. The Sebastian County Quorum Court approved an ordinance Tuesday appropriating more than $3.3 million for upgrades to the Ben Geren Softball Complex, as well as a new restroom at Torraine Lake. The upgrades to the softball complex include a project designed to resolve drainage issues present at the original eight fields there. Visit nwaonline.com/220626Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Players on the River Valley Rippers 12U softball team practice on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at the Ben Geren Softball Complex in Fort Smith. The Sebastian County Quorum Court approved an ordinance Tuesday appropriating more than $3.3 million for upgrades to the Ben Geren Softball Complex, as well as a new restroom at Torraine Lake. The upgrades to the softball complex include a project designed to resolve drainage issues present at the original eight fields there. Visit nwaonline.com/220626Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Trent Welbern, head coach of the River Valley Rippers 12U softball team, leads a practice on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at the Ben Geren Softball Complex in Fort Smith. The Sebastian County Quorum Court approved an ordinance Tuesday appropriating more than $3.3 million for upgrades to the Ben Geren Softball Complex, as well as a new restroom at Torraine Lake. The upgrades to the softball complex include a project designed to resolve drainage issues present at the original eight fields there. Visit nwaonline.com/220626Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)