EDMOND —
Wednesday morning was a home run for the City of Edmond with the groundbreaking ceremony of the Edmond Softball Complex at Route 66 Park.
The Edmond Parks and Recreation Department along with city leaders, staff and softball enthusiasts gathered about a quarter mile east of Post Road and State Highway 66.
“This particular project presents something of particular interest to me,” said Charles Lamb, mayor. “We’re trying to develop recreational use in what is a maps flood plain. That’s why it’s agricultural land.”
The park will be of great value to the future of Edmond and is an example of how other parks could be placed in drainage ways for purposes of recreation, Lamb said.
Construction is set to begin Monday and expected to be finished in the late summer of 2013, said Steve Commons, assistant city manager. Jacob Engineering is doing the land work with a construction time of 270 days. Edmond Softball Complex is expected to open in early fall of 2013.
The city purchased the park property in 2007 for $1.5 million with money from the city’s 3/4-cent permanent sales tax approved by voters in December 2000 for capital improvements. The total project cost is estimated to be about $5.5 million to $6 million to fund four softball fields, said Ashleigh Clark, public information officer.
“This will become one of Edmond’s gems that everyone is quite proud of,” said Nick Massey, city councilman.
Long-term plans call for the construction of eight full fields at Route 66 Park, Commons said. In December it was announced that only a four-field softball complex will be in a new community park. Commons does not have an estimate on the other four fields or timetable on proceeding with constructing the remaining fields, he said.
“This is a great day; it’s a beautiful day in Oklahoma. The sun is shining and I’m proud that we turned some dirt today,” said City Councilman Darrell Davis, former chairman of the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board.
The Edmond Rotary Club has worked for more than two years to raise nearly $50,000 of funds to construct a playground at the park, said Jay Buxton, Rotary member. The city’s total cost for the playground is $250,000. While serving on the Capital Projects and Financing Task Force, Buxton learned the project included a children’s playground. He began a fundraising effort through Edmond Rotary to bring the playground to fruition.
Fortaleza-Planalto Rotary in Brazil agreed to be an international fundraising partner with Edmond Rotary. Rotary International has since provided additional funds. Other members of the Rotary who have been helpful in supporting the children’s playground include Krista Jones, Andy Lester, Chuck Musgrave and David Hornbeek, Buxton said.
The playground will be the first feature of Route 66 Park because the softball park will be closed out of season.
Edmond Adult Softball Association has more than 130 adult softball teams involving 1,500 players, said Harry Kocerek, Parks & Recreation Board vice president.
“I think the only day that’s going to surpass this is the day we pitch the first ball out here,” Kocerek said.
EASA President Jackie Muse said he is hearing positive feedback from softball players in Edmond and other areas of the state.
“We think this can be another gem for the City of Edmond,” Muse said. “We might get some tax revenue out of it, too. But we’d just like to thank everybody for their perseverance and patience. Let’s play ball.”
jcoburn@edmondsun.com | 341-2121
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JAMES COBURN | THE EDMOND SUN Edmond City Council members, from left, Elizabeth Waner, Victoria Caldwell, Darrell Davis, Nick Massey and Mayor Charles Lamb break ground for the city's new softball complex on State Highway 66 Wednesday.
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City breaks ground on softball complex
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