The city of Jackson could soon have a plan on how to breathe new life into Smith-Wills Stadium, thanks to the help of the owner of a minor league baseball team in Biloxi.
Tim Bennett, owner of the Biloxi Shuckers, is doing an assessment of the stadium, to determine what needs to be done with it to again make it viable for tournaments and events.
He expects the assessment to be completed by November or December, and is doing the study free of charge.
The information, in part, will be used to determine what improvements are needed stadium to bring in college tournaments.
“My thing is to see what the facility could be used for to make it produce revenue again,” he said.
“There are three options, tear it down, leave it as it is and let it continue to age, or see what we can do to bring it back.”
Bennett spoke recently to the Jackson City Council about his plans.
He said council members and the mayor were receptive to the idea, but want to know how any investment would pay off.
He has met with Mayor Chokwe Lumumba and the city is now working out a new management agreement with Bennett and his firm, Overtime Sports, to oversee the facility.
The current management will oversee the facility on a month-to-month basis, until a contract is reached, according to Jackson Communications Manager Kai Williams.
The stadium is currently managed by the Mississippi Baseball Club.
“I’m very empathetic with the council and the mayor. They have a lot to get done. Their response was favorable to spending money to keep the stadium (viable) but they have to figure out where it is on their priority list,” Bennett said.
Right now, Jackson spends about $100,000 a year to maintain the facility, and makes no profit.
For fiscal year 2018, the city has budgeted $107,157 for stadium upkeep, up from the $93,205 set aside as part of the 2017 budget, but down from the $121,000 it spent in 2016.
“They’re spending $100,000 to $150,00 a year in its current condition and it’s not getting any return,” he said. “The chance to host a tournament could turn that trend around”
Williams said a cost-benefits analysis will be conducted in 2017/2108 before any decisions on the facility are made.
“Mr. Bennett met with and made a proposal to the mayor/parks and recreation department several weeks ago,” she said. in an e-mail. “There are no plans to upgrade Smith-Wills Stadium this year, with the exception of minor repairs, which will be taken from the parks and recreation budget.”
Mississippi Baseball Club has managed the stadium for years. As part of the agreement, the group receives the first $50,000 in revenues collected at the stadium, with anything above that going to the city.
The stadium for years has not exceeded that $50,000, Williams said previously.
Smith Wills opened in 1975 and was home to the Jackson Mets, a minor league farm team for the New York Mets.
After the Mets left in 1990, it became home to the Jackson Generals, followed by the Jackson Diamond Kats and the Jackson Senators.
Since then, the stadium has been used primarily for youth sports and city activities, and is the home stadium for the Belhaven Blazers baseball team.
“It’s a great historical facility, but there’s not a lot of clamoring for (its) usage,” said Scott Little, Belhaven’s vice president and director athletics.
The 5,500-seat facility has been overshadowed in recent years by Trustmark Park, a larger, newer facility in Pearl.
Even so, Bennett says Smith-Wills still has potential.
He points to the field’s artificial turf, which means games wouldn’t be rained out. “There would be rain delays, but they wouldn’t be rained out,” he said.
Additionally, he points to the stadium’s location. The stadium is located on Lakeland Drive, in the LeFleur Museum District, right off I-55.
However, Bennett believes the facility needs a number of upgrades.
“ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) certification is one,” he said. “The stadium was built in 1975 and ADA standards have changed.”
Also, the stadium has to be updated to accommodate scorekeepers, press personnel and announcers. He said new lighting would also be needed, to improve the chances of attracting larger college tournaments and national media coverage.
He said even with improvements, the stadium could not compete with Trustmark Park, but could “compliment” it.
“It costs money, but I’m not looking at it as spending money, but investing money,” Bennett said.
He didn’t say how much the improvements at Smith-Wills would cost.
He said the economic benefits would far outweigh the investments, and points to the impact of events at MGM Park in Biloxi.
In addition to owning the Shuckers, a AA farm team for the Milwaukee Brewers, he also is co-owner of Overtime Sports, managers of MGM.
In May, the stadium hosted the Conference USA baseball tournament, which drew approximately 22,000 people to the stadium. The event was also televised by ESPN 3, ESPN’s online streaming channel.
“There is a place for Smith-Wills where it could be relevant again,” he said. “It’s just a decision the city of Jackson has to make and my job is to (inform) them on the options.”
