Meridian needs more recreational facilities for its youth and to attract lucrative tournaments here, according to City Councilman George Thomas, Ward 1, who shares a vision of a new sports complex with others who believe a food and beverage tax could fund such an endeavor.

    “We have pretty good facilities now,” Thomas said. “They’re okay but they’re not what we need. They’re old and the Parks Department does a great job on them. But we’re limited in what we can host. We don’t have enough youth baseball fields. That’s one big area of concern.”

    The city has three lighted baseball fields at Sykes Park; four lighted fields at Phil Hardin Park; and two little league fields at Crestwood.

    Thomas said the city is doing alright with its softball fields, in fact a 72-team tournament for girls fast-pitch softball is scheduled for next weekend.

    “The economic impact of that is tremendous,” Thomas said.

The city already has plans to construct more soccer fields. There are 14 soccer fields at Meridian Jaycees Soccer Complex and three soccer fields at Northeast Park.

    “The big push right now from a lot of the local people is a sports complex,” Thomas said.

Lauderdale County has a tax on hotel and motel rooms of 2 and 1/2 percent. Thomas said he and others would like to add a 2 percent food and beverage tax on restaurants in Lauderdale County to fund recreational facilities.

    The measure would first have to go to the Mississippi Legislature and then it would have to be approved by at least a 60 percent vote, Thomas said.

    More tennis courts are needed, he said. There are 10 tennis courts at Northeast Park.

More soccer fields and an indoor basketball court are needed, he said.

    A soccer facility with bleachers is needed so the city or county can host soccer tournaments.

    “They’ve got to be where city residents can get to them,” Thomas said. “We’ve looked at some spaces off of the interstate on the edge of the city. The problem with that is we have a lot of children and adults inside of the city that it would be a difficult task for them to get there, so that’s a concern.”

    Thomas envisions a complex of 10 or 12 baseball fields, eight or 10 soccer fields with a playground in the middle and a large concession stand, in addition to an indoor soccer facility with bleachers, that could be converted to play basketball.

    Community college soccer and softball tournaments could be hosted by Meridian, he said, if there were enough facilities.

    “I want to have places for local youth to play and that’s my basic concern, but these tournament teams are big money-makers for the community,” Thomas said.

    Thomas plans to ask the Legislature to pass a private and local bill during its next session adding a two percent sales tax on restaurant food and beverage purchases.

    “Two cents on the dollar, I don’t think anybody will notice that,” he said.

    Mark Naylor, Parks and Recreation director for Meridian, said the most urgent need is for baseball fields for boys ages 8-12. For a first-class sports complex, he said, there would be a need for 75-100 acres.

    Joe Norwood, president of the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors, said although the county would not be involved in a beverage and food tax, it supports the city 100 percent in its efforts to pursue a tax that would fund more recreational facilities.

    “I think we’re about 30 years behind on having one,” Norwood said. “All of these things that bring in big tournaments, we are behind it. I think it is time for us to step up to the plate to do something. The city will have to pass a food and beverage tax. Without that we won’t have the capability to do the sports complex.”

    Jesse Palmer, Councilman, Ward 4, is a retired coach who said he knows first-hand the value of recreation.

    “I’ve coached and played all these years so anything that deals with children, I’m with,” Palmer said. “As a young fellow growing up, the activities of sports kept me out of trouble.”

    Some other cities in Mississippi either have or are making plans to construct sports complexes, he said, such as Southaven which has the Snowden Grove Baseball Complex with 17 baseball fields and the Greenbrook Softball Complex, which has eight softball fields. The entire complex also has a miniature golf course, indoor soccer, indoor batting cages, indoor batting instructional room, an arcade, and two party rental rooms.

    Annual Dizzy Dean baseball tournaments that Southaven hosts in July are estimated to bring in between $6 million and $8 million in revenue to the city through food, beverage and gas purchases, hotel rooms and direct ticket sales.