The public will get its first glimpse of the latest vision for Columbus” long-awaited soccer complex at Burns Bottom later this month.
The new version will debut Sept. 23 at 5:30 p.m. at the Columbus Municipal Complex, when the city holds its final public meeting on the sprawling combination park and athletic facility, tentatively called Tan Yard Park. The majority of the landscaping and architectural planning has been completed, as have environmental surveys, and the last step is getting the thumbs-up from the public.
City engineer Kevin Stafford says the plan has grown substantially since its inception, and so has the price tag. Originally expected to cost around $3 million, the basic park without any amenities is now expected to cost $3.5 million.
But the amenities, which have no clear source of funding at the moment, are likely to attract the most attention. Stafford says planners threw in a slew of upgrades “while the iron is hot.”
The special features include a waterfall built into Morris Creek, a suspension bridge across the creek, stepping stones and wading pools in the water, a central building known as the Community Heart, eight pavilions lining the two “championship” soccer fields, an educational/environmental center, walking trails through the wetlands, boardwalks, nature trails and a path connecting the park to the Riverwalk.
The no-frills version includes the soccer fields, an open park, and multiple playgrounds — including a special-needs playground, two combination restroom/concession stand buildings, one combination restroom/referee quarters building, and lighting.
Lowndes County will foot the bill for the soccer complex since the city agreed to pay for future renovations to the Trotter Convention Center. Board of Supervisors President Harry Sanders said the county will go forward, barring 1,500 registered voters signing their opposition and forcing a referendum vote, with a plan to issue $7.75 million in bonds to fund the soccer complex, the new Justice Court building, renovations to the Lowndes County Courthouse and payment of existing bonds which paid for the jail. The new Justice Court will be built next to the Lowndes County Detention Center.
The death of the soccer park project”s landscape architect, Ed Blake of The Design Studio in Hattiesburg, during the complex”s planning phase slowed the development, but now Stafford say the design phase is more than halfway complete.
Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority Director Roger Short said the majority of Blake”s ideas had already been incorporated at the time of his death.
“He did the majority of the landscaping architectural work. He made sure the wetlands and those types of things were not affected,” said Short.
Stafford anticipates advertisements for contractors will run in late October and the bidding will end by late November. All of December will be allotted for contracting and construction should begin in early January. Allowing four months to grade the fields and install infrastructure — including 389 parking spots — he anticipates sod will be laid out in early Spring and the fields will be ready to use by this time next year.
Bids for all proposed park features will be accepted at the same time, but only the basic features are guaranteed to be awarded. Any funds remaining after the initial bids are awarded will be redirected toward remaining features. Stafford says private funds, such as corporate sponsorship, may be necessary to realize all aspects of the plan; and those may follow months or years after the park opens.
Sanders says the county is taking the final steps toward beginning the project. Wednesday the Board of Supervisors authorized its attorney to file for eminent domain on two small pieces of property in the Burns Bottom area. Both pieces of land are smaller than one-fifth of an acre. Sanders says the owner of one piece lives in California and has never even seen the property, and the other was holding out for more money.
“We”ll let the judge or the court decide how much the land is worth,” he said.
Significant opposition is not expected when the plan goes before the public Sept. 23. Concerns about parking have been addressed with 40 more spaces than required in the park with available overflow near the Farmers” Market and the Trotter.
Stafford said the last time the public was polled, the predominant feelings were doubt and hope.
“The biggest comment we got is, ”We hope you can pull this off,”” he said.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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