RED SPRINGS — Sitting under a tent in a grassy 29 1/2 acre field less than half a mile down the road from Red Springs High School, the school’s Athletic Director Chris Howell had the realization that the school’s five-plus year fight to get its own athletic facilities for baseball and softball had been won and the future was right below his feet.
Even though the Public Schools of Robeson County’s Board of Education approved to start work on the Red Springs High School athletic complex at its meeting in February, Howell listened to administration from the school system and Red Springs talk about the moment that many said might not happen, and those that had waited patiently over the years for it finally to come.
“It just kind of hit me all at once because we’ve been fighting for this a long time. Now is when reality hits a little bit,” said Howell, who has been with the school for 11 years. “Next I want to see fields.
“I wanted it for the kids to have the same opportunity as every other child in Robeson County, and that’s to play on their own athletic fields.”
The groundbreaking ceremony for the multi-million dollar sports complex was the first step of many to build a facility that will eventually host Red Springs’ baseball, softball, football, track and soccer teams. But at the moment, the first phase of the construction will build baseball and softball fields that are expected to be ready to host the baseball and softball teams next season, as well as the 2020 Robeson County Slugfest.
“According to the diagrams, it should be a great facility, baseball and softball wise. Then hopefully it will continue on with the next two phases to be a really great complex,” Robeson County Athletic Director Jerome Hunt said.
The Public Schools of Robeson County purchased the property in April 2015 for a price of $260,000 from John Buie and William McPhaul, according to the county’s tax records, and the property has laid fallow until the school board took the motion to get the wheels rolling on the facility.
When the presentation was presented to the board in the February meeting, Hunt gave estimates on prices for the opening phase of the complex. The softball field is projected to cost $250,000, baseball field $350,000, lighting $565,000 and parking $90,000. More will be needed to complete the facility, including fencing, concessions and dugouts.
The park will be located down Vance Street that runs in front of the school and turns into Watson Farm Road outside of the town limits. Water and sewer lines will be run down to the site, and connected from the town’s water and sewer lines. The town of Red Springs has agreed to provide labor and install water and electric systems.
The half-mile trip to the park will help save on travel and security costs that the school has had to foot over the years with baseball games being held at Tom Cope Park on Graham Street on the south side of town, and softball games hosted at the industrial park on the north side of town.
“We’re going to save thousands of dollars. I’ve done a rough sketch on how much we have lost in the last 20 years alone, and we are over $100,000,” Red Springs booster club president Jeff McNeill said, citing the need for extra security, lack of concession sales among other elements for two sites. “It all started as a fairness thing. Then it became about safety. And now here we are.”
McNeill said that he had spoke went two nearly every school board meeting since September and oftentimes spoke about the issue during the open comments period. He said that he started the push for the new facility for Red Springs around seven years ago.
Hunt said that the community outpouring support for the cause might have been a key reason for the push in the last few months.
“Anytime the community gets involved and is passionate about something, they keep bringing it to your attention and want something done, at some point and time you have to address it,” Hunt said.
The current fields are separated by more than three miles and each are more than a mile and half away from the school. Athletes were able to drive to the fields for practices and games, and the school did provide transportation for those that were unable to find a ride themselves.
“It’s been kind of a safety concern for us, but it’s nice to just have everything here,” Howell said. “It will be good to have everything in one central location. Our athletes deserve it.”
Hunt said that the facility will be not only a bright spot for the Red Springs community, but for the county as well.
“This facility will be for future Red Devils, and also for some present Red Devils,” he said. “It’s just a headache when you don’t have your own facility on campus, and it just makes it easier and more convenient for everybody.”
While there is no timetable set for the other phases of the project that will provide a track and football and soccer field, according to Hunt, school board Chairman Mike Smith said that a track will be put in place in concordance with the school system’s plan of resurfacing two high school tracks a year. This past summer the track at St. Pauls and Lumberton were redone.
