VanHook sent photos he took, which we have included with this story, and a video, which he also took, showing the state of the field at the Johnson Complex. Especially striking is the muddy valley cut by water drainage from second base to third and then to home plate. Meanwhile, McRae Park and City Park’s fields, VanHook said, have not been worked on for decades. McRae, he said, is “like a big cow pasture out there.”
VanHook was told by a representative from East Texas Fields, LLC that getting the fields into playable shape could cost from $20-25,000 at the Johnson Complex and $10-15,000 at McRae and City Park. These prices, VanHook said, seem fair to him, but it has been difficult to get quotes from other companies. “I’ve talked to several others but everybody says we’re out of their range for something like that. I’ve got one company in Russelville that still hasn’t gotten back with me.” Another company, VanHook said, “is supposed to email me something but they never got back with me.”
The work would probably take some heavy equipment. The representative from East Texas Fields told VanHook that the field at the Johnson Complex would essentially need to be redone. “He said it’s going to have to be regraded all the way. …. They’re going to start all over. That’ll be a brand-new field. They said it has to be graded and skinned to the bottom.” VanHook added that in consulting with Prescott’s road crew, he found the city lacked the equipment to do the jobs.
During this past Thursday’s Prescott City Council meeting, VanHook spoke about the situation, saying the Parks Commission lacked the funds to cover the repairs. Carl Dalrymple, the city’s accountant, responded that the city also lacked the funds for the purpose.
While Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Director Mary Godwin said state grants that could cover half the cost could be applied for, but later in the year, Mayor Terry Oliver advised him to seek loans from one of the two banks in town, Farmers Bank & Trust or Bank of Delight. But he cautioned that legal advice would need to be sought from the Arkansas Municipal League (Prescott lacks its own city attorney currently) on whether it is legal for the city’s Parks Commission to seek bank loans. As of Monday, VanHook said the city has contacted the Municipal League and is awaiting advice.
Tomorrow night, though, VanHook will find out the schedule on when Little League play, which will involve players from ages nine to twelve, will begin. He agreed that in the meantime he would be glad for any help to come from volunteers or sponsors.
