Softball facility to be Clinton’s next park project
By Randy Bell
The City of Clinton is soliciting bids for the construction of a new concession stand and restroom facility at the softball fourplex at Traceway Park. It will be the latest project paid for with revenue from a two per cent restaurant tax, which will come up for reauthorization during a special election in June.
“The fourplex is the concession stand building in the middle of the four softball fields,” says Parks and Recreation Director Courtney Nunn. “When you’re coming down Northside Drive, you can see it from the road. The [existing] building will be demolished, and we’ll build a whole new concession stand there. This has been a project on our radar for several years now.
And, hopefully, this time, we’ll be able to get the right estimates in so that we can move forward with it.”
Nunn says previous bids were too high.
“It was definitely overpriced.”
The Board of Aldermen could be asked in April to approve a contractor.
The project shouldn’t affect the recreational softball season, but Nunn says games later in the year could be impacted.
“It could affect any tournaments that might be coming in during the summer months. But we’re going to try to work around those and be able to keep access there for the players and the parents.”
The City is planning to construct a new concession stand and restroom facility at the Traceway Park softball fields.
The restaurant tax which city voters approved in 2022 has generated a total of $4.3 million in three years, with all of the revenue dedicated to parks and recreation. Some of the money has been spent to build a pickleball complex at Towne Park, an all-inclusive playground at Brighton Park, replacement of restrooms at Baseball Field 10 at Traceway and new restrooms between Softball Fields 5 and 6 at Traceway.
In January, the City requested that the Mississippi Legislature extend the repeal date of the law which authorized Clinton to impose the tax. Without legislative action, the law would expire July 1. House Bill 4012, authored by Rep. Clay Mansell, would extend the law for four more years, with the tax still subject to voter approval during the June 9 referendum. On February 18, the bill was referred to the House Local and Private Legislation Committee for consideration.
