Grant clears way for center lane on US 31

Published 12:00 pm Saturday, June 2, 2012

South Vinemont’s slow progress toward a new municipal park got a big boost this week, with the state highway department clearing the way for a center lane along U.S. Highway 31 that will ease access to the new facility.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley recently notified the town that a proposal to install a center turn lane from Highway 31 onto Park Drive — the name of the new road leading to the park — has been approved.

“We’re very happy about it — it’s wonderful,” said Vinemont mayor Melba Patton Friday. “We’re putting a very firm foundation under our town, which was established in 1961, and each administration since then has done something to make this a better place.”

The road project is one piece of a larger puzzle taking shape at the new sports complex, which, when completed, will house five lighted baseball fields, a three-story concession stand, a conference room, and paved parking for 240 vehicles.

Some of the park’s features are already in place; others should be online by summer’s end, and still others will be added as work on current projects finishes.

“We have asphalt chips on 240 parking spaces; we have two ball fields finished, and we’re about to start on the concession stand,” said Patton. “That will have a conference room on the second story, and a P.A. system and scorekeepers’ area on the third story. That comes from a $250,000 CBDG grant we applied for the year before last, and we’ve been able to put money back for all of the work on it.”

While work at the part will continue well beyond the summer, Patton said a portion of the complex will be ready for use much sooner.

“We are planning to open with two ball fields, the concession stand, and, of course, the parking and the road into the park,” she said. “We’re planing to open late this summer. Two of those fields will be lighted, and we hope to have the third one ready to play in the daytime.

“We have three town employees — a clerk, a maintenance person, and a building official — and they are very, very hard workers,” she added. “We’ve done a lot with the people we have available. We’re in Congressman Robert Aderholt’s district, and he has helped us tremendously. I’ve talked to him and asked him to throw out the first ball when we open the park, and he said he’ll be happy to. We’re looking forward to that.”

* Benjamin Bullard can be reached by e-mail at bbullard@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.