The El Dorado-Union County Recreation Complex Commission is ironing out the details of a funding proposal it plans to present to the El Dorado Works Board for the second phase of a renovation and expansion project at the recreation complex on Champagnolle Road.
Work on the first phase of the two-part master plan began in late 2019 and has largely been completed.
The work included the addition of two soccer fields, two new baseball/softball fields and the completion of two existing baseball/ softball fields -- all on the south end of the complex.
New turf, lighting and fencing were also installed on the four older fields on the north end of the facility.
Two used kiosks, which were donated by Murphy USA, have been installed and will serve as concession stands and additional restrooms for the south fields.
Electrical hook-ups have been completed for the kiosks and complex commissioners are hoping that plumbing will be established by the time the busy season kicks off at the complex in the spring.
Phase one totaled more than $3 million.
The majority of the funding came from the El Dorado Works tax, a one-cent, city sales tax that is earmarked for economic development, municipal infrastructure and quality-of-life projects.
The El Dorado Advertising and Promotion Commission kicked in $271,800 to complete the soccer fields.
Also helping to advance the project were the MUSA donation and monetary assistance and in-kind services from the city of El Dorado and Union County, both of whom contribute to the complex's annual operating budget.
Phase two of the master plan calls for a new baseball field to serve older teens and adults on the south end of the facility; a recreational trail that will encircle the complex; and improvements to the parking lot.
Complex commissioners expect to return to the El Dorado Works Board, who administers the city sales tax, to request funding for phase two.
Greg Harrison, chairman of the complex commission and a member of the Union County Quorum Court, previously said some El Dorado City Council and El Dorado Works Board members had asked for a commitment from SouthArk to continue using the fields at the complex, particularly with plans to build a new field for older teens and adults.
In May of 2021, the complex and SouthArk entered into a field-use agreement, which designated fields 4 and 8 primarily for SouthArk's baseball and softball programs, which launched last year.
The agreement also included options for the college to use other fields at the complex and was good for one year.
Complex commissioners have said SouthArk is among the potential users of larger baseball field that is proposed in phase two as a part of an overall effort to draw more tournaments to the complex.
On Dec. 2, Harrison said SouthArk president Dr. Bentley Wallace had submitted a letter expressing the college's intent to continue using the complex for years to come.
Bentley wrote that reviving the college's men and women's basketball programs and adding softball and baseball to its athletic roster has benefited student athletes and helped to boost enrollment for SouthArk and the economic vitality of the city and Union County by bringing visitors to town.
"The partnership allowing SouthArk to play diamond sports at the complex is critical to the continued success (and future expansion) of athletics at the college," Bentley wrote.
"The college's vision and planning includes a long-term commitment to playing at the (complex)and with continued community support and purposeful partnership opportunities, the next five to (10) years should prove very successful for everyone involves in this exciting venture," letter read.
With the SouthArk commitment in writing, Harrison asked commissioners if they had any other ideas for phase two.
David Lee, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of El Dorado -- who manages and operates the complex, per a contract for services with the city -- suggested a sand volleyball court.
Lee pointed to an area between fields 2 and 3 on the north side of the complex to build the court, adding other spaces could be used for the amenity.
Commissioners have also discussed another potential component of phase two -- expanding RV sites at the complex.
The group noted the growing trend of out-of-town visitors arriving at the facility in RVs during tournaments and staying overnight.
"A lot of people who come to town for youth tournaments are using RVs to give their kids somewhere to cool off and to get something to eat," Harrison said.
Adding more RV sites would help to increase revenue at the complex, commissioners said.
The existing, eight sites are also popular for longer stays, particularly among contract workers who come to town for large industry maintenance and construction projects.
Complex commissioners have proposed removing the Van Hook Pavilion to extend the RV/campsites.
The Van Hook Pavilion, named in honor of retired, 35th Judicial District Court Judge George Van Hook, Jr., is located near the entrance of the complex.
The pavilion is one of two at the complex.
The other, the Dumas Pavilion, sits atop a hill near the south fields of the facility and is used more often than the Van Hook Pavilion, commissioners have said.
The Dumas Pavilion bears the name of Mike Dumas, former El Dorado mayor who now serves alongside Harrison on the UCQC.
Commissioners also discussed possibly filling in a large ditch behind field one on the north of the complex, saying that the space could also be used to expand the RV sites and for additional parking.
Harrison reiterated Dec. 2 that Union County Judge Mike Loftin has committed to parking lot improvements as the final part of phase two.
Loftin reportedly said that to avoid damage to a freshly asphalted and striped parking lot with heavy machinery, he does not want to start the improvements until other components of the project have been completed.