Blount County, Eagleton College & Career Academy, along with the members of the construction team will be hosting a community information meeting on Monday, January 29, 2024, at 5:30 pm to be hosted at the Fellowship Hall of Village Missionary Baptist Church, 117 Main Road, Maryville, TN, 37804.
“We invite the community to join us for an information session about the Eagleton Ballpark Renovation Plan. We are so thankful for Pastor Gerald Jones and the members of Village Missionary Baptist Church for their partnership throughout this project and for opening the doors of their church to the community to hear more.”
The County has begun initial work on the Eagleton Ballpark renovation site which will remediate decades long stormwater issues as well as upgrading the ball fields for the schools and community youth leagues. We are using some of our ARPA allocation funds to complete this work. 85% of the projects cost is ARPA funds and the remaining are county capital funds as approved by the Blount County Board of Commissioners.
The plans call for reconfiguring the site with the same number of ball fields and walking trails as before, but once renovated will be situated to better handle the stormwater with drainage and holding areas to alleviate a long-standing history of runoff issues into the community.
In addition, two of these fields will be home to the Eagleton College and Career Academy baseball and softball teams, with the remaining fields available for community youth leagues right here in Eagleton Village, with the possibility of regional tournaments.
Before construction, the County and the Highway Department conducted a water runoff study as well as a traffic study to make sure the plans address both issues. “I am happy to tell you that these plans do in fact enhance the stormwater issues for the community, and that we are in ongoing discussions with the State Department of Transportation to address the traffic around the ballpark to alleviate congestion where possible,” states Mayor Mitchell.
While the project is in progress, we are working on the future operation of the ball fields. That process will include drafting a request for proposal in hopes of finding a company with experience maintaining ballparks, who will be tasked with enhancing our local youth leagues and help determine the best use for possible regional or national tournaments at our ballparks. Whoever we partner with to operate the ballfields, will work with our Eagleton College and Career Academy teams and our local Parks and Recreation to provide the best experiences for our kids and grandkids.
“As most people know, I grew up in Eagleton Village. I’ve played ball on these fields and I’ve watched both of my sons play here too. This ballpark has been a part of Eagleton Village and Blount County for decades. We owe those memories to those who’ve invested their time, sweat and personal finances to ensure we’ve had the park this long – such as our Parks & Rec Commission, Eagleton Little League, and so many more. It makes me feel good to see Franklin & Sons working on the site today because I know they’ve donated hours of work over the last 6-7 decades to making the ballpark what it was. Our ballpark has truly been a community effort. I know there are a lot of memories out at our beloved Eagleton Ballpark. There is naturally a little bit of sadness as I see it get torn down to be rebuilt, but there are good reasons for rebuilding. I want this ballpark to be a tribute to them.
Along with fixing long-standing stormwater issues, it is important to me that we re-energize access to youth baseball and softball in Eagleton Village. When I think about the impact on my life and all Blount County kids, I am excited about what we are building to help make memories at the ballpark for the next 50+ years. This project is possible because of those I mentioned before, but also because of the wonderful neighbors of the Ballpark, our Blount County Commissioners, Budget Committee members, and Blount County School partnership. We have been collaborating for many months to bring this project to reality.
We look forward to the opportunities and positive economic impact this ballpark will have on our small businesses and the entire local Eagleton community.”
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