Upgrades planned at Snowden Grove

Southaven aldermen to vote Tuesday

Southaven aldermen are scheduled Tuesday evening to take action related to major improvements at Snowden Grove Park’s baseball fields, which draw thousands of visitors to the area each summer during the Dizzy Dean World Series baseball tournament.

According to documents to be voted on by the board during its regular meeting, work will include covered grandstand seating at all three of the park’s “signature” fields as well as new press-box facilities at each, along with new restroom and concession facilities.

The estimated cost of the project is $2 million.

Tuesday’s action, if approved by aldermen, will set in motion the design process for the previously approved upgrades, part of a master plan of improvements paid for primarily by a 1-cent restaurant tax, “Penny For Your Parks.”

No timetable is given for the improvements, but Alderman George Payne said he doesn’t think work

will get completed this yea r.

Mayor Darren Musselwhite said when announcing a naming rights deal for Snowden Grove in December that promised improvements to the baseball complex were part of what helped the city secure a 10-year extension to keep the Dizzy Dean World Series at Snowden Grove.

Teams come from throughout the South, as well as other areas, for the tournament, bringing families who pump dollars into the Memphis-area economy at restaurants, stores and hotels during their stay.

Money from the $1 million, 10-year naming rights agreement with Mississippi-based Bank-Plus is helping, along with the “Penny For Your Parks” revenue, to fund Snowden Grove improvements not only at the baseball complex, but also at the amphitheater. The amphitheater has become one of the area’s prime outdoor venues for summer concerts.

The amphitheater is getting improvements that include a stage enclosure with more storage space for equipment and video display boards.