Searcy begins construction on the first master plan project funded by the new tax

Searcy, Arkansas – Searcy’s $93 million, 20-year master plan is beginning to pay off.

Although the tax and bond purchase were passed by voters in March, the city’s baseball and softball complex upgrades this week marked the start of the first project funded by the tax.

The $1.16 million project, according to Searcy Parks and recreation director Mike Parson, involves concrete and drainage work, score tables, new fencing, rain coverings for the dugouts and bleachers, and potential parking improvements.

Earlier in the year, several funds put clay in each field and replaced the grass. Campbell Sharp, a young player in the recreation league who has been playing baseball in the community for nine years, appreciates the changes.

It’s comforting to know that you know where everything is when you return to the location where you usually play. He remarked, “You know you have the best of the best.”

According to Parson, this is only the beginning of Searcy’s plans.

There will be continuous movement, breaking ground, and project completion because we have additional projects starting in January and some major projects starting early next summer.
“Seeing things that the public voted for on a regular basis,” Parson remarked.

The upgrades at Berryhill Park are the project that will begin in the spring. The construction of the new sports complex, water park, and community center is anticipated to begin in the summer of 2025.

It’s good to see the city moving in a path that encourages greater participation and keeps children safe, according to Matt Huber, coach of Sharp.

“Having such a good environment and a good place as we move forward is just going to help out more,” Huber said, adding, “I love coaching these kids, and I love influencing them.”