Two Home Run for Hot Springs committee members, Jonathan Hamner and Rich Thompson, spoke at the Hot Springs Young Professionals meeting at noon Tuesday at SQZBX Brewery and Pizza Joint, using the platform to seek support for the Majestic Park Baseball Complex.
City voters go to the polls Sept. 10 in a special election to decide whether to issue bonds secured by the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission's 3 percent hospitality tax to pay for the project. Passage of the issue would authorize up to $8.5 million in bonds for the revamping of the former Boys & Girls Club of Hot Springs into a youth baseball complex.
"Despite Hot Springs' legacy as the 'birthplace of spring training,' players must often travel to fields in Benton or Little Rock to play baseball. This not only hurts residents who enjoy the game, but often deters some young families from moving to Hot Springs to live and work," according to the Home Run for Hot Springs pamphlet given out at the meeting.
Thompson said there are 20 to 30 Hot Springs travel leagues playing every weekend that could be playing in town if they had the opportunity.
"Babe Ruth would roll over in his grave if we put a soccer field up," he said, jokingly.
Hamner explained a special election is needed because immediate action is preferred.
"We don't want to miss another year and wait for the general election next year," he said.
Hamner described Hot Springs as sitting on a "gold mine" for families traveling for tournaments, looking for pastimes in between games, because there is so much to do around the city.
Thompson said renovating the field will also provide the city with the opportunity to grow both the youth and young family population.
"The demographic is changing in Hot Springs -- it's getting younger and younger," he said.
According to the pamphlet, if the proposal is passed there will be no new taxes, nor an increased tax rate -- the project will be financed with a 30-year bond issued guaranteed by the advertising and promotion tax, a $500,000 grant from the Oaklawn Foundation and a $50,000 pledge from Ritter Communications. Additionally, if passed, the park is anticipated to be "game-ready" by spring 2021.
Local on 08/21/2019