Morehouse College Baseball and the Marquis Grissom Baseball Association have renewed hope of making a College Park ball field their home.
During public comment at Monday’s College Park City Council meeting, Grissom said he envisions Bill Evans Baseball Field as home for the Morehouse Maroon Tigers baseball team and his youth organization; and he foresees youth teams from across the U.S. playing on the field after a remodeling.
The ball field has been a contentious issue for College Park residents who want to see it revitalized. The two organizations have wanted to make an estimated $2 million investment in remodeling the site with new bleachers, locker rooms and clubhouse, a turf field for all sports, and a field house for different events.
Creed Acquisitions planned to create a residential and retail development on 6.5 acres. But the project now no longer appears to be a certainty. During a December meeting, the Business and Industrial Development Authority, which owns the property, did not vote to extend a contract for Creed to purchase the site.
A motion to approve an extension during the board meeting was not seconded.
Grissom, who was on the Braves 1995 World Series championship team and had 429 stolen bases, said he hit his first high school home run in the Bill Evans ballpark at age 13.
The Marquis Grissom Baseball Association has run a baseball youth academy at Bill Evans Baseball Field for 16 years for ages 13 and over and at Zupp Park for nearly six years for younger players.
“We’ve got one of the best baseball programs in the country,” Grissom told SaportaReport.
His organization also runs the Atlanta Braves RBI youth baseball and softball development program, Grissom said.
Nearly a year ago, when the city of College Park owned the Bill Evans ballpark property, Morehouse’s national alumni president and Grissom made similar public comments to last Monday’s on their desired plans for the ball field.
City Council did not discuss the possibility in an open meeting last year but instead voted to deed the property to the Business and Industrial Development Authority.
“We have a master plan that we think will work,” Grissom said Monday.
Thank you for covering this important topic, Saporta Report!