The project’s numerous delays and setbacks must have seemed like a distant memory on April 17, when the four-field Centre Girls Fast-Pitch Softball League’s first pitch was tossed. The season concluded with a tournament on June 2.
City of Centre Parks and Recreation Director Charles Glazner viewed the league’s inaugural season as a success.
“I was real impressed with the turnout of kids and the number of parents and other people who attended the games. I was also real pleased with how the umpires performed, which can be an issue sometimes. I think the most important thing that came out of the season was that every team improved since opening day. The girls really seemed to have fun and played better along the way, and that was our two main goals this year.
"We had about 100 girls play with eight teams, and we had 10 teams from the Piedmont league to play against. We had teams for eight, 10, 12 and 14-year olds, but not enough 14-year olds signed up to field a team. We played under ASA rules, and every team had a sponsor.”
Glazer and the project arrived on the local scene at roughly the same time several years ago.
“The city already had the plans in place and had received an $80,000 matching federal Land and Water Consumption grant the same week I was hired [in February of 2002]. I was told that [the city] needed a recreation director in order to receive the grant.”
The city then retained CDG Engineering of Boaz for architectural work, and in the fall of 2003 Chorba Construction, Inc., was the lowest bidder for the actual construction.
Mother Nature provided the project’s first snag.
“Almost immediately, we had lots and lots of rain,” recalled Glazner. “That delayed construction for several months. So work on the fields didn’t actually begin until the spring of 2004.”
The delay proved costly. By the time the ground was sufficiently dry, Glazer said that the priced of metal and fencing “had gone out of sight.”
If that wasn’t enough, Chorba notified the council that the company required more money than was agreed upon in the original bid.
According to Glazner, the Centre City Council refused to release any additional monies.
“Because of that situation, [Chorba] had to start cutting corners, and there was no significant progress until the spring of 2004,” said Glazner. “Basically, Chorba said that they completed everything that they could have with the funds that were available.”
It was at that point that the City of Centre washed its hands of Chorba and hired Tom Wolfe of Coosa Valley Turf to perform grass work on the fields.
“Tom really went above and beyond the call of duty,” noted Glazner. “He did a lot of the necessary work, not only for the Parks Department but for the community as a whole. He also donated the sod for the Dixie Youth Fields and provided the labor. We put in the Dixie Youth’s sprinkler system, as he basically did the rest.”
Unfortunately, the softball complex’s growth was stunted yet again .
Due to the late seed sprigging, the field’s grass didn’t grow to full length by the time the youth softball season started in mid-April.
Add in the fact that the complex’s restroom and concession facilities were not yet completed by the spring of 2006, the Cherokee County Youth Girls Softball League decided to remain at the Leesburg Ball Park.
“That was [the CCYGSL’s] reasoning for not coming in that year,” said Glazner. “That was completely un-derstandable. Especially with [construction] work still going on. The city offered [the CCYGSL] the use of the complex earlier this year, but after several weeks of discussion [the CCYGSL] turned down the offer.”
According to Glazner, several Centre-area parents hatched the idea of the CGFPSL shortly thereafter. They approached Glazner and the city council about forming a new softball league, and Glazner and the city council gave the idea the green light. Glazner and several parents formed an advisory committee that set league rules and made fi-nancial decisions.
The Centre, Cedar Bluff and Leesburg communities currently are represented on the committee, and Glazner notes that committee slots are available for Gaylesville and Sand Rock if enough girls from those areas sign up.
“We did everything we could to work with the [CCYGSL], but with so much money and time invested in the complex, we had to move forward,” said Glazner. “We got the ball rolling with help from the city, the Chamber of Commerce and a lot of parents.”
Glazner said that the complex hosted an NSA tournament on May 12 and is looking to host more tournaments.
“A lot of folks don’t realize just how much money something like this can bring into a community,” pointed out Glazner. “We’re capable of hosting youth travel baseball, adult leagues, church leagues, industrial leagues and co-ed leagues. We just can’t have a kids and adult league playing at the same time due to safety issues. We want to make sure that the kids have safe playing environment at all times.”
One local person who does realize the amount of revenue that a sports complex can generate for a local economy is Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Thereasa Hulgan.
Hulgan recently suggested to Glazner that the complex might play host to a variety of sporting events and recreation activities that would attract a sizable fan base.
“I think it would be a great to make use of the complex with events like soccer district tournaments and volleyball tournaments and even things like horseshoe and badminton tournaments,” said Hulgan. “Such events would bring in a lot of people who would spend the night, go out to eat and shop locally. It would be a great asset for our tourism industry. Our chamber is involved with other organizations that assist us in evaluating the complex to see specifically what the complex can accommodate.”
Glazner did his homework by visiting many softball complexes in north Alabama, and is in frequent contact with the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association.
“I’m constantly talking with ARPA members for advice on improvements and additions,” said Glazner. “In terms of field quality, we’re in comparison to other area softball complexes. We have real nice bleachers with back supports for safety. We have a batting cage ready to be installed. Eventually I’d like to have a walking track around the complex, plus playground equipment for younger kids. I’d also like to make room for a pavilion area with picnic tables.”
City of Centre Councilman and Parks and Recreation Board Chairman Harry Moon echoed Glazner and Hulgan’s take on the CGFPSL’s maiden season.
“I think that everyone was very pleased with the season, especially with the problems we’ve had in getting the fields ready. It seemed like the players, coaches and parents enjoyed using the facility. We still have some things to do, such as building back the gravel entrance road, but the infield and outfields look really good. We’ve already had some phone calls about putting together a church league, and we’re going to see about setting up some adult tournaments.”
The 2007 CGFPSL teams and sponsors are the 12&Under Lady Tigers (Comb’s Tile), the 10&Under Little Lady Warriors (Robertson Plumbing), the 10&Under She Devils (J.R.’s Outboard Service), the 8&Under Cheetah Girls (Innovative Mortgage), the 8&Under J.R.’s Mermaids (J.R.’s Marina), the 8&under Lady Bandits (Bar-B-Que Place and More), and the 8&Under Lady Bugs (Subway)
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