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Commissioners agree to let Downeast Baseball apply for grant to build indoor hitting facility at Eastern Park
Summary
The board approved a motion allowing the Downeast Baseball League to apply for funding for a 50-by-40 indoor hitting facility at Eastern Park in Smyrna and agreed the county would maintain the structure if built.
The Carteret County Board of Commissioners voted to allow the Downeast Baseball League to apply for grant funding for an indoor hitting facility at Eastern Park in Smyrna and agreed the county would maintain the structure if the project is built on county property.
League representatives said funding has not yet been secured but that a potential donor, the Big Rock Foundation, could underwrite construction; the league asked the county to assume maintenance responsibility if the facility is constructed. Josh Arthur spoke as a proxy for another league representative and described long travel times for youth needing indoor practice space: children from Cedar Island travel an hour each way to reach the nearest indoor facility in Morehead City.
Arthur said the facility would primarily be a hitting facility without heating or air conditioning and estimated a building footprint of roughly 50 by 40 feet (the transcript records “50 by 9” followed by “40 500 square foot,” clarified during discussion as approximately 50 by 40 feet). Arthur asked only for permission to use county property and for the county to include maintenance in future budgets.
Commissioners discussed parks and recreation oversight. The board confirmed the project falls under Parks and Recreation and that staff member Mr. Reburn (Parks and Recreation) had been consulted. A motion to “proceed forward, allow them to apply for the grant, and the county will maintain the structure being as one of our property” was made from the dais and seconded; the board voted in favor.
Chairman-level commentary indicated support for the proposal as a way to increase youth opportunities in the county. The motion did not approve funding; it authorized the league to seek grant funds and signaled the county’s willingness to accept the building as a maintained county asset if funding and construction occur.
The board did not record a detailed budget estimate at the meeting; commissioners noted maintenance obligations would be a future budget item.
