Sinclair said the grand opening event on Friday, Feb. 26, went well. He’s been out there every day since.
The good news: The complex has seen its first homerun and its first grand slam. The bad news: That grand slam was against the Sims Middle School baseball team.
More good news: The complex has been busy since its opening day.
“I saw teams from all over, I saw citizens from all over,” Sinclair reported. “And they’re all pitching in to help.”
The not so good news: There are a few issues that still need to be worked out at the complex.
But the county is working them out.
“We’re working out the bugs,” Sinclair said.
Outside of some scheduling issues, the county also found there was a first aid issue when it comes to the capability of getting an ambulance into the facility. Sinclair said there’s really no good way to get an ambulance inside the park.
A plan has been put in place, however, with the cooperation of Union County EMS, that uses a backboard system in the event someone needs to be transported from the complex. Sinclair told council members the county is looking at securing and modifying a four-wheeler to use in the event of an emergency. There also have been specific EMS locations identified at each of the park’s seven fields.
“We’re trying to work through those bugs,” Sinclair said.
Another issue the complex is facing is in the concessions area.
Sinclair actually had the opportunity of working concessions on Saturday while he was there and told the council when people come between innings they only have a short amount of time to get what they want and go back to the field.
A complex committee — including Union County Airport and Facilities Director Ronnie Wade, Becky Cobb, Sue Cudd, complex director Kevin Shropshire and complex assistant director Paul Wilkes — recently met to discuss the need for staff at the concessions areas of the complex and came to the realization it will take more than just one person to run the operation.
Wade informed the county council committee on law enforcement, judiciary and recreation of the complex’s need at its meeting prior to the council’s on Tuesday. He and Sinclair recommended the county hire three part-time employees — one as the lead and two others as team leaders — to operate the concessions at the park and then call others in on an as-needed basis.
“We feel with the scheduled work load the complex will have from booked tournaments, these three people can direct, manage and train all needed call-in personnel,” wrote Wade in a report to committee members. “Because of a seven day schedule with 14-15 hours per day required to operate the complex, three part-time people would be the best option to having someone available as needed to insure the proper operation of our food services in the most cost effective way possible.”
Wade also told committee members having three part-time employees vs. one concession manager would increase the level of accountability when it comes to cash flow at the complex.
“They’ve looked very hard at the need,” Sinclair told committee members.
The council wasted no time Tuesday authorizing the hiring of three part-time concessions workers and did so unanimously after hearing committee chair Joan Little’s recommendation.
Sinclair also told council members the cooperation and willingness to help he has seen at the complex since it opened — between not only the entities involved in the facility but also the people visiting it on a daily basis — is a good sign.
“It will allow us to handle the issues we have and move forward,” he said.
Find more on what the county council discussed at Tuesday’s meeting in the Thursday edition of The Union Daily Times.
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