Public forum on aquatic center, baseball complex held

Engineers from ETC Engineers and Architects, Inc., were present at a public forum on the proposed aquatic center and baseball/softball complex held at the City Council Chambers at 5:30 p.m. yesterday. An overflow crowd was on hand to see the drawings of both the baseball/softball complex and the aquatic center.

Now that a specific location has been proposed for the baseball/softball complex, engineers with the firm presented a mockup of the complex in that location, which has an entry just south of the Wal-Mart shopping complex. Engineers visited and walked the proposed site with Mayor Parnell Vann and City Inspector David Nelson, and the drawings were based on that visit. The site for the aquatic center had already been picked, so the new drawings had proposed concept buildings at that location near the practice field at Eastside Park.

Mizan Rahman, P.E., a project manager at ETC, went over the concept drawings for the aquatic center with those in attendance, and after finishing took questions from the audience. “Nothing is written in stone, and everything can be changed if need be.” One concept had a center concourse that separated two pools, one side intended for competition and the other side for use by younger swimmers. Concessions and other support would be between the pools. The other concept was a linear facility with the concessions and support in the front of the building, which would allow for a bit more parking in the back. “Either concept would work well on the site, it’s just a matter of preference,” he said.

The baseball/softball complex consisted of a 25-acre site with two quad fields and one large concession building. It would also be possible to add a football field to the design. The builders of the complex would be able to harvest dirt from the construction site, and would create two ponds that could be used for recreation.

The second concept for the baseball/softball complex would have two concessions and would be spread out a little more. The creek would be diverted, and some field work would have to be done to take care of any flooding issues since the land is in a low area. The mayor mentioned that the city would negotiate with the Arkansas Highway Department to obtain field dirt for the project. A one-mile walking track would be a part of either proposal.

After the concept drawings were presented, John Michael Hunter spoke to the crowd about the financial feasibility of the baseball/softball complex. He has been involved for several years in planning and holding tournaments at the old city baseball/softball fields on Stadium Street. “We will be working to bring in revenue with tournaments. Will it work here? The sky is the limit as to what we could do. The operating expenses would be covered by the tournaments if they were done right, and a lot of money could come into town as a result. It’s a no-brainer.”

A proposed budget was passed out at the meeting that showed projected expenditures and revenues based on tournaments that had been held in Magnolia in the past, and on projections based on tournaments held in places such as Hope. A very conservative estimate based on tournaments that have been held in Magnolia in the past projected yearly spending of as much as $570,000.00 as a result of the tournaments at a new complex. The complex would need to have enough fields to appeal to every age group to make the tournaments successful.

Near the end of the meeting, a member of the audience wondered if a football field could be added to the plans. The mayor and other members of the audience were in favor of looking into that possibility as a home for the Magnolia Warriors football team.

Speakers at the next forum will be David Sisson, Jennifer Hubbard, and Robert Dodson.

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