Dear Townspeople of Ackerman, MS:
While we approach the holiday season with all the food, fun, and family, allow me to plant a seed. Please discuss these questions with your family and friend as they pertain to the sale of Tom Glasgow Park.
Our Board of Alderman of the Town of Ackerman is in the process of negotiating the sale of our 22.232 acre Tom Glasgow Park to the Choctaw County School Board. If a price can be agreed upon, the park will end up becoming a sports complex exclusively for the high school. The park will cease to exist and will not be a public property. The townspeople will not be able to use the park for any purpose unless you have permission from the school board or have purchased a ticket to enter a sporting event. The school plans are to demolish the amphitheater, tennis and basketball courts and much of the parking lot to make room for a track surrounding a football field with stands. The questions are:
1. Should the board have a plan in place to replace the park, before the sale of Tom Glasgow Park?
2. Should the board replace Tom Glasgow Park at all?
3. How much of the park should the board replace? 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%?
4. Should the board ask for 100% replacement cost of the park? 75%, 50%, 25%?
5. How much money is the School Board offering? 450,000?
6. How much of a park will that amount of money build? Mayor Cutts estimates 22% of Tom Glasgow Park could be replaced with the $450,000. Michael W. Brooks who performed the original estimated value of Tom Glasgow Park for the School Board numbers suggest 32% of Tom Glasgow Park would be replaced.
7. Where did the board acquire the estimate to build a replacement park? Does this party have any park building expertise? Is this party licensed? Bonded? An architect? An engineer? Did this estimate allow for drainage, exact slope for precise runoff?
8. Will your taxes go up to finish the park just in case the new park (if we have one) costs more? Where will the extra money come from?
9. If we build a new park where will it be located? Inside or outside the town limits? Will it be near the community?
10.The land behind the community center on College Street and Highway 12 is considered a "severe-slope" per Mike Slaughter of Slaughter and Associated presently conducting an unrelated study for the Board of Alderman. What does the term severe-slope mean in construction? How much more expensive will the cost be to build on a severe-slope?
11. Engineer Marty Crowder of CES stated he would advise a "wet lands" study be conducted on the 16 acres at College Street and Hwy. 12 before construction of anything. How expensive is a "wet lands" study? Who will pay for the study?
12. When offered this land on College Street and Hwy. 12 to place the sports complex for the high school; why did the Superintendent of Education say it would not fit the school's needs? He is presiding over a three phase $8 million high school expansion now. Maybe he is leery of the extreme challenges of building on the property behind the community center. Should the Board of Alderman be leery too?
13. Will we have a place to play t-ball, baseball, and softball for each age group in the spring as we do now at Tom Glasgow Park?
14. Will we have a place to play pee-wee football and soccer in the fall as we do now at Tom Glasgow Park?
15. Where will we hold picnics? Birthday parties? Walking? Graduation? Rock Crusher Challenge bike start and finish-line with pavilion rest area? Restrooms?
16. The Honorable Mayor Jimmy Wallace of Carthage estimates the cost of the expansion to the existing McMillan Park at $2.5 million. The Honorable Mayor of Louisville Will Hill estimates the cost of the expansion to the existing Ivy Park at $3 million. Starkville Daily News reported the City of Starkville is planning to spend between $15 and $20 million on a sports complex in the area of Hwy. 12 and Hwy 25 a mere 30 miles from Ackerman. Why don't they build it at a cost of $100,000 like we are told by people of Ackerman can be done?
17. If we build a new park, will we have a paved road entering the park or gravel road? If we build a new park will we have an asphalt-paved, lined parking lot or a dirt parking lot? (Remember Tom Glasgow Park has 324 paved parking spots)
18. Have you ever parked in the mud to watch your child or grandchild play ball?
The mayor thinks you deserve better.
The Town of Ackerman, board of alderman and mayor have and will continue to support the children of Choctaw County. We strive to help the Board of Education and its chosen administration to come up with a suitable solution without the senseless destruction of public property.
Please call you alderman or call or text me and voice your opinion if any of these issues concern you.
Thank you and God Bless you with a happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas too.
Town of Ackerman Mayor, Tim Cutts
Phone 662-285-8800
Note: Board of Aldermen for Town of Ackerman are:
Ward 1 Felicia Baber,
Ward 2 Tommy Curtis
Ward 3 Bill Taylor
Ward 4 Billy Ganann
At Large Carl Phelps. Town Hall phone number is 662-285-6251.
