Article published: July 29, 2009
Opening celebration a home run

Pulling into the Patriot Park Sportsplex on Tuesday afternoon, it felt like a ball game was about to begin.

The parking lot was full, people were walking through the distinctive Patriot Park gates and up the crowded walkway to the central building, and the red of girls softball uniforms clustered in the crowd.

And for members of Sumter County government, the opening ceremony was kind of like the end of a very, very, very long game.

"This is a project 30 years in the making," said Gary Mixon, deputy county administrator.

County Councilman Charles Edens said when he joined council in 1999, he began working to construct a new ball park in Sumter. There hadn't been one built since the 1970s.

Council tried to construct ball parks using taxpayer money before, but the initiatives failed on at least two occasions.

But on the November ballot the local option sales tax passed, agreeing to raise $75 million through a one cent sales tax addition for 16 projects, including $6 million for the baseball/softball side of Patriot Park.

And Edens said he thinks things have a way of working out for the best.
"Had we been successful in 2002 we wouldn't be looking at a facility like this," he said.

Edens said council could have built a facility like Dillon Park but wanted to build a facility that would be an attraction and draw sports tournaments to Sumter.

"Got to spend money to make money," he said.

And he stressed that tournaments, like the Dixie Girls Softball World Series starting this weekend, bring money to the area.

Mixon said previously that estimates are that each out-of-state visitor spends about $650 in the community during a weeklong tournament, and each in-state visitor will spend about $320.

County Administrator Bill Noonan said Mixon has been involved in bringing something like this to Sumter for a very long time.

"For 30 years he has been dreaming of this day," Noonan said.

Mixon joined the county recreation department in 1987 and said even then he knew that there was a need for a new ball field.

Mixon said many people said there was no way the facility would be finished in time for the tournament this weekend, and though there are some empty patches in the grass and some fence work needs to be finished, the construction is done.

"We're here today, and I can't believe it," he said.
Noonan walked by a few minutes later and handed Mixon a piece of the ribbon from the ceremonial opening. Mixon put the gently folded red ribbon in his pocket.

He said he might not frame it but, "it's going to be a keepsake. No doubt about that."

That sense of joy and accomplishment was shared by many on Tuesday.

Edens stood looking out over the fields from up in the central tower, grinning.

"I just hope all of Sumter gets out to look at it," he said. "Unless people get out here and see it, they can't appreciate it."

Councilman Artie Baker walked by Edens and, looking around the central tower, simply said, "Wow."

Council Vice Chairman Eugene Baten stood next to Edens, also surveying the new bright green landscape.

"This is what we said we were going to do," he said. "This is a great day for Sumter."

Contact Staff Writer Gina Vasselli at gvasselli@theitem.com or (803) 774-1214.