Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks Director Mike Perry shared a $1.5 million improvement plan for the Morgan Falls Athletic Complex that now reflects the priorities of the Sandy Springs Youth Sports organization, which uses the fields.
Safety netting, sunshades, bleachers, batting cages, bullpens, security cameras, and water bottle filling stations were included in the plan he presented to Sandy Springs City Council at its work session on March 15. City officials still need to refine the plan and prepare a bid document for the project.
Among the improvements, an overhead safety netting with vertical fencing is planned for most ballfields.
“That’s meant to keep the balls in the field, keep them off the playground,” Perry said. The netting also would keep balls from entering the alleyway where people walk through the field complex.
The plan also calls for 13 bleacher seating locations and nine sunshade installations.
The highest priorities for Sandy Springs Youth Sports were the addition of batting cages and bullpens.
“Right now, there’s a limited number of batting cages. There’s a limited number of bullpens,” Perry said.
Most fields would have two bullpens.
Perry said he plans to prepare a bid document with a few alternatives.
Councilmember John Paulson said it was a great start, but he knows much more needs to be done.
“In fact, the report that you guys gave us a couple months ago had a bunch of things,” he said.
Paulson suggested the department take that report, rank the needs by priority, and then work their way down the list.
Councilmember Andy Bauman asked if the number of participants with youth sports was back to pre-COVID numbers.
The last numbers he heard suggested they were there, Perry said.
“The numbers were some of the highest numbers we’ve had in the last four or five years,” he said.
Project Cost Estimates
- Safety Netting, $400,000
- Sunshades, $240,000
- Bleachers, $170,000
- Batting Cages, $350,000
- Bullpens, $245,000
- Security Cameras/ Wi-Fi Upgrades, $40,000
- Water Bottle Filling Stations, $55,000
Total (Including 20 percent contingency) $ 1.5 million