Community News

Mills River breaks ground on $424,000 baseball field

Mills River Town Council members, contractors and town employees break ground on the new baseball field at Mills River Town Park. [TOWN OF MILLS RIVER PHOTO]

By Lightning Reports, Published: February 13, 2020

MILLS RIVER — Everyone from Little Leaguers, girls softball players and adults could be playing baseball in Mills River this coming fall.

The Mills River Town Council, town officials and contractors turned a ceremonial shovel of dirt for the new $424,000 baseball diamond on Tuesday.

The Town Council awarded the $424,006.51 contract to Hendersonville-based Carolina Specialties Construction LLC after a second round of bidding and some trims to the project reduced the price by $200,000.

Last September the council authorized parks and recreation director Nicole Sweat and Town Engineer Tom Jones, of the WGLA consulting firm, to prepare a bid package for a formal bid procedure. The council awarded the bid on Jan. 9. Councilman Randy Austin made a motion to seed the baseball field rather than sod it, at a savings of $31,926. The motion failed in a 3-2 vote, with Roger Snyder voting with Austin and Mayor Chae Davis and council members Richie Meadows and Brian Caskey voting no, according to minutes of the meeting. Snyder said he would like rules for the baseball field to allow for pickup games. The baseball diamond also includes bleachers and dugouts.