High school facility set to open in fall of 2020
Fans are likely to hear the cracks of bats and balls whizzing over home-plate in a brand new Hayesville High School sports complex, but it won’t be in time for next year’s baseball season.
On Thursday, county commissioners voted to begin soliciting bids to construct the facility. Bids will be opened in early November and the project is epected to be completed by late fall of 2020.
The complex will be located on 17 acres of county-owned property off Myers Chapel Road, down the hill from the Clay County Care Center. The parking area will be adjacent to Valley River Hideaway road.
The county budgeted $2 million for the project and according to County Manager Mark Pullium, projections from the designer range from $1.7 to $2.3 million. “The project has been value engineered to keep costs down,” Pullium said.
Larry Lackey, president of CEtech Associates of Franklin, presented a slide presentation depicting the complex’s design during Thursday’s county commission meeting. The complex will include varsity softball and baseball fields and bullpens. Home team dugouts will include locker rooms.
A two-story building centrally located between the men’s and women’s fields, will house the concession area, bathrooms and press box. The main level will be used for concessions and include a covered concrete pad area. The upper level includes storage areas, a press box and an open/covered camera deck with concrete flooring.
Lackey said the design is built to accommodate growth. Initially it will have about 150 seats at each field for a total of 300 seats. Bleachers will be built about 3 feet higher than the field.
In addition, a multipurpose practice building will be constructed on site. The building will be 100 feet wide, by 125 feet long and 24 feet in height. A multi-purpose field is also proposed on the property.
The property was purchased about 12 years ago from Neal Cabe. It was intended as the site for a new grammar school; however, the Army Corps of Engineers designated it as a flood plain. Thus, it became the site for the new sports complex. The new grammer school is being built where the sports complex was initially planned.
“The deed to the property is in the county’s name. It will remain that way until the installment loan is repaid,” explained Pullium. “In the meantime, there will be a lease of the property for a nominal sum assuring the school has full use of the property.”
Pullium said construction of the sports complex will be managed by the county with input and approval by the commission and the school board for changes to the project. Once construction is complete, the facility will be under the management of the Clay County Board of Education.