Board votes to start baseball signup

A discussion about why the Dizzy Dean baseball season has not been planned at the Holly Springs Park and Recreation Department drew fire in discussions among the public, aldermen and mayor at the February 1 meeting.

Ward 3 alderman Colter Teel launched the inquiry into the youth baseball and softball issues.

“If they are sitting in the classroom, I don’t see any problem to play,” said Teel, when making a motion to carry on with the youth baseball league as soon as possible.

Mayor Sharon Gipson said the most important thing is that employees are safe.

“It is a day-to-day thing,” she said. “We are looking at ways to do that safely. I was asked to hold the matter.”

She said guidelines of CDC had to be followed, and employees had to be at the fields to make sure the guidelines are followed.

Gipson asked to hold off on planning for the season until safety measures are in place.

“If we are waiting to use these monies (COVID-19 disbursements from the state), the season will be over,” Teel said.

The city has received about

$900,000 from the state to use in safety protection measures related to the pandemic.

Gipson said CDC requires masks be worn, that special seating be arranged and hand sanitizers be used.

She said touchless sinks and thermometers, that can be used by walking up to them, need to be installed at the bathrooms and other places.

“It is very serious, very deadly, a killing thing,” Gipson said. “If it opens back up, the city will have to make sure... until we get these things in place we cannot afford to jeopardize....We would have to take responsibility for it. Holly Springs and Marshall County already has large numbers (of cases). We can’t compare ourselves to schools.”

Teel said there is no way it would require $350,000 (a figure Gipson mentioned) to get the fields ready to play.

Ward 1 alderman Bernita Fountain asked to share her thoughts.

“Children cannot sign themselves up for baseball, their parents have to sign them up,” she said. “We as a city are putting money into Park and Rec to have activities. We are paying people to put it forward. They have four or five fields going on in DeSoto County. These things are outside in small towns with nothing to do. People know it’s a pandemic. You know your risks. I don’t see it is a reason to cancel events.”

Gipson said she has not cancelled events.

“I’m looking for a solution,” she said. “I haven’t shut anything down. It constantly changes. There is a need to make things safe. I have to make a decision about our employees, ways to wipe down bats, bathrooms. Yes, Holly Springs High School has asked for fields as well.”

Ward 4 alderman Patricia Merriweather entered the fray.

“My question is when I look at this and our great city, to make sure Holly Springs is livable,” she said. “We have our youth involved and elderly.

“I’m wondering why the park is not ready already. I was under the impression that employees had already done this. We received $80,000 plus to buy all kinds of cleaners and for city hall. “What do we need a Park

and Rec director for. I thought that was already happening in October and in November and December. We shouldn’t have to wait another day. That does not look good for this board.

“We can do this. No one wants to have a child hurt, an adult hurt, so you take the measures and you preplan. We hired these people to make sure we are ready. We’ve got to do a better job in planning ... even in your best planning a child may get COVID, an adult may get COVID.

“What is our plan to make sure the people we hired are doing what they are hired to do?” Gipson said she had talked with park director Sanchez Blake.

“The city does not have people to run that because we don’t have enough employees,” Gipson said.

She said Merriweather’s statement has no merit.

“Why aren’t we ready?” Merriweather asked. “It doesn’t have anything to do with God (a reference Gipson made). Our job is to make sure things are safe and we are prepared for our children, our citizens.”

Alderman-at-large Dexter Shipp inserted his thoughts.

“If I may say something,” he said. “It seems a lot of talk is about getting our employees. It’s not hard to put in place CDC guidelines.”

Following Shipp’s comment, the board of aldermen voted 4-0 (with Ward 2 alderman Andre Jones absent) to start signup for baseball immediately.

Shipp continued during board discussions saying there is enough time to get measures in place before the season starts.

“So, let’s get all that in place,” he said.

During three-minute public comment, Bo Jones suggested the ball season could be delayed beyond the usual startup in April to put safety measures in place for play by May.

“Our children deserve a really good league,” he said. “Are we going to provide our children the very best product? A lot of children want to play. I think it would be great to register them online.”