Greer Parks and Recreation
An overview of the new two-story press box, concession stand and restrooms will connect all three fields. The covered picnic area and storage will be between fields one and three.
Greer Parks and Recreation
The new two-story press box and concessions with ADA restrooms.
Greer Parks and Recreation
The sheltered picnic area with six tables.
Greer Today / File
Gone is the 40-year-old press box and concessions building that housed small restrooms that were not up to ADA standards.
“Esthetically it will make the park much better, Red Watson, Assistant Director for Greer Park and Recreation said. “It’s almost 40 years old.”
Air conditioning units were held in place by wooden posts and the restrooms were not ADA compliant. The former building has been razed.
A $400,000 Land and Water Conservation grant, with a $200,000 city match, recommended for the youth league complex by the South Carolina Department of Parks Recreation and Tourism was approved by the National Park Service in September. The grant will also help elimination storm water issues at the park, according to city council when it gave its approval to seek the grant.
Watson briefed City Council last week on the planned facilities and said, “No variations are planned from the present design.”
City Administrator Ed Driggers told council two years ago the city purchased additional property adjacent to the park for overflow parking. “It’s very likely that we will be in a position through our hospitality fund that we would have available resources to use for the improvement and upgrade of that area,” Driggers said. “This is a great opportunity for us. With the grant and the additional parking, we’re looking at probably in the range of $500,000 on the site.”
The facilities will have extra amenities to serve users of the park and its facilities.
The two-story building, connecting all three ball fields, will have a press box on the second floor that will have a view to all three fields and a public address system that will accommodate teams playing on each field.
“We only had views from two sides of the press box and one public address system to accommodate one field,” Watson said.
Watson said the sheltered picnic area, with six tables in about a 20 x 20 foot area, “Will be the most popular spot for spectators.”
The ADA bathrooms will be appealing and may encourage more disabled to attend activities at Century Park.
It’s been a prolonged process for the grant’s approval. “We started late 2013 and construction will begin in 2016,” Watson said.