By John Howell
City Parks and Recreation Department employees Albert Norwood and Brad Lightsey recommended higher rental fees for use of the Trussell Park ball fields for tournaments.
Norwood said that they had surveyed neighboring cities’ use charges. The new figures they presented to the mayor and aldermen March 3 are, “still not as much as they’re charging, but they’re in line.” he said.

The park employees recommended increasing the field fees for tournament use of Trussell Park by men’s softball teams from $150 per field to $200 per field. Use of the concession stand would be raised form $100 to $400.

“I’m not saying these are figures y’all want to go with, but it’s just something to let you know what we thought,” Norwood said.

City officials discussed with Norwood and Lightsey rental policies for non-profit organizations schools.

Mayor Jerry Autrey said that city officials would look over the prices and respond to the recommendations at a future meeting.

In other business:
• Aldermen authorized the mayor to apply for a Blue Cross and Blue Shield Healthiest Hometown grant of $25,000.

Foundation director Sheila B. Grogan, in a February 10 letter to the mayor, encouraged the city to enter the competition with other Mississippi cities.

The mayor said that the city’s “no smoking” ordinance and construction of the walking trail at Trussell Park would score positive points on the grant application;
• Aldermen also a approved a request from Tequila Lee of Batesville for use of a gazebo building on the Public Square as the site of her August 15 wedding. Aldermen also approved a street closure for two hours during the wedding to allow use of horse-drawn carriages;
• City officials also heard a one-word report from Batesville Civic Center Director Roy Hyde about the Bill Lipscomb Memorial Rodeo held there Saturday, February 28:

“Wow!” Hyde said.
The event was a sell-out, plus. Three hundred people were turned away after the center was filled to its capacity, the BCC director said;

• And aldermen approved by unanimous vote reduced-fee rental of the Batesville Civic Center by two non-profit organizations, the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest MS for their annual banquet March 26 and the South Panola Air Force ROTC for an event on October 31.