Playing ball in Highlands may soon get more enjoyable.
During Thursday’s budget work session town manager Josh Ward informed the board of commissioners that funding to replace the aging stadium lights at the baseball field on 4th Street has been penciled into both the town and county budgets.
“In talking with county commissioner Jim Tate we discussed the field lights as really the last big ticket item that we needed in parks and recreation for the immediate future,” Ward said. “He went to the county manager and basically the county has agreed to put half of the cost of the lights in their proposed capital outlay budget.”
The stadium lights have been part of the Town of Highlands budget discussion for several years but have always been pushed down the road due to the $275,000 price tag. Ward noted that the county has put $137,500 towards the replacement lights in its proposed budget and the town has followed suit.
The new Musco sports lights will change the game at Highlands baseball field according to mayor Patrick Taylor.
“These new lights will be LED, which are more energy efficient, and along with that the new technology will allow the light itself to be focused on the field of play and the immediate spectator area,” Taylor said. “The new lights won’t put off as much light in areas surrounding the field, which will benefit the adjacent property owners.”
Ward noted that the popularity of Highlands recreational softball league and ability to host tournaments made upgrading the lights a priority.
“When you look at what the county did at Parker Meadows with the lights down there, essentially that is what we are going to have here,” Ward said. “The lights themselves are phenomenal and they really create a bright, but contained, field of play.”
While the Macon County board of commissioners will not vote on the county’s proposed budget until June, Tate was optimistic about the project making the final approved document.
“I can’t speak for the board regarding what line items will ultimately be approved, but this is the type of project that fits our model in providing parks and recreation funding,” Tate said. “Over the past several years we have really put an emphasis on recreation projects, like remodeling the public pool in Franklin, building Parker Meadows, upgrading the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building, improving and expanding Zachary Park, etc. To partner with the town on a project like this makes sense.”
Seeing the old lights come down would bring a smile to Highlands commissioner Donnie Calloway’s face. Callaway has served on the rec committee throughout his tenure as a commissioner and has advocated for the light replacement project in multiple budget discussions.
“When people drive into town on US 64, the first thing they notice is the community building and the ball field,” Calloway said. “It’s a beautiful facility, it’s a very popular facility, and having new lights will only add to that. The lights are a long term investment that will benefit a lot of people over the years.”
If approved in both the town and county budgets, the replacement of the lights could be done as early as fall of 2021.