As city leaders ponder how to spend the $500,000 parks and recreation CD, I hope they'll keep in mind how the money got there in the first place.
Several years earlier, the citizens built a top-notch facility -- the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex.
By all accounts, the Sportsplex was proving its worth year in and year out by drawing big tournaments and serving hundreds of local children participating in baseball, softball and soccer.
Families poured in to watch the kids play ball and enjoyed the ballpark's atmosphere.
Seeing that success, in 2007, voters passed three measures aimed at improving the parks system.
One made the 1/4-cent tax permanent, another refunded the bond and the third allowed a new bond that provided an additional $1 million in improvements -- most of which was used for covered seating at the Sportsplex.
The permanent tax was to lighten the load on the General Fund, especially for special projects like a proposed skatepark, which never materialized, by the way.
For that matter, there is a laundry list of other projects promised or suggested that have yet to come to fruition. As Councilman Kevin Snow has said on several occasions, there were too many promises made to different groups. I have no doubts, however, the voters expected the Sportsplex to be the priority in the parks system when they went to the polls seven years ago.
Fast-forward to March 2012. The city opened two CDs, after being surprised with two checks totaling $1,134,033.64 from excess parks and recreation Series 2007 bonds funds and the January 2012 and February 2012 parks and recreation tax money.
A $508,188.25 CD remains from those funds, though the city is considering using $150,000 of that as part of a 50/50 matching grant from the state -- a proposal before the Finance Committee now. Most of the $300,000 would be used at Williams Park, on updated playground equipment, resurfacing of the basketball courts and parking for the two pavilions.
At a cost of approximately $37,000, the Sportsplex parking lot would be paved with those funds as well.
Certainly, the playground equipment needs to be replaced at Williams Park and there are arguments for the other projects as well.
However, the Sportsplex has its share of needs. The parking lot needs repaved; there are electrical issues, among others on the baseball and softball side. Also, the soccer fields are in poor condition and have been for quite some time.
The intent of the tax was to make sure the Sportsplex was maintained, along with the other parks. It was to supplement the General Fund, not be the sole revenue source for the parks (there are golf course receipts too, but they never cover Thunder Bayou's expenses let alone help support the entire parks system).
The parks and recreation tax generates about $60,000 per month and parks payroll is around $62,000 during a typical summer month.
There isn't any room for special projects as city leaders thought there would be a few years ago. The reality is, once the CD is gone, there won't be much money to spread around to the several parks in the city unless the city's financial position turns around.
Officials have to make sure one of Blytheville's best assets is properly maintained.
I suspect the Sportsplex is the most-used park in the city, when considering the hundreds coming out nightly in the spring during the baseball and softball season as well as soccer Saturdays in the fall. The Sportsplex hosts numerous tournaments in the summer as well; next year it will host the big Cal Ripken Regional, a qualifier for the World Series. In addition, folks take advantage of the walking trail year-round.
The Sportsplex should be treated as the gem of the parks system. If not funded properly, eventually the complex will deteriorate and become another defeatist tale of what Blytheville used to have.
mbrasfield@blythevillecourier.com