WESTMINSTER — After nearly a decade of dreaming, dirt is finally moving on Westminster’s new recreation complex — with very few local dollars being spent on the $7 million project.
The Hall Road park is even larger than anticipated in its first phase thanks to a $2 million donation from a local manufacturer, Horton, announced at its Dec. 10 City Council meeting. What was originally one large baseball diamond is now three, with one large enough to be split into two smaller fields.
It’s a dream come true for Mayor Brian Ramey and a sight to behold for longtime Recreation Director Herb Poole. Such a sight that he admits to visiting it every day, rain or shine.
Horton Outdoor Recreational Area will eventually host tournaments, bringing in travel teams with families who will stay in nearby hotels, eat in Westminster’s restaurants and buy local gas.
Expected revenue in year one for a two-field model was around $117,000 with a total economic impact of $1.6 million, according to a study from Sports Facilities Companies.
“Our ultimate goal is to give this community the type of recreation facilities that they deserve,” Ramey told The Post and Courier. “It will also help with the local businesses and bring in additional business, additional restaurants, and encourage people to move to our area. That's one reason this collaboration with Horton means so much, because their employees will be living in the Westminster area, their kids will be a part of this recreation community.”
Westminster, a pass-through on S.C. Highway 76 for many on their way to the mountains, is home to roughly 2,400 people. Its downtown parallels the railroad, where the City Council occasionally pauses its meetings in the depot as train cars rumble by.
The city paid $160,000 for the 49-acre plot in December 2020, though it had a $125,000 state appropriation to help fund the purchase.
The council voted to buy the property on Nov. 12, 2020, and Poole has been anxiously awaiting any bit of forward movement since. It seemed fitting, then, that the first truck from Mammoth Sports Construction arrived to the Hall Road site on Nov. 12, 2024 — exactly four years later, he said.
Westminster has received nearly $6 million in state appropriations and a $483,935 grant for the Hall Road park design on construction. It had a little over $5 million budgeted for the original phase one, which grew almost overnight with Horton’s commitment.
“We have a long history of contributing to regions that we operate in,” Terry Gilberstadt, vice chair of Horton, said in a news release. “Funding this recreation complex continues our legacy of support for more vibrant, healthier, and happier communities!"
The expanded first phase nearly doubles Westminster’s inventory of fields for practices, Poole said, which means no more 4-year-olds starting T-ball practice at 7:30 p.m. as he struggles to schedule 26 youth teams. It means more practice time for all teams rather than hoping for one per week before weekend games.
Some of the park’s expected $458,000 first-year expense is accounted for in the city’s half-million-dollar youth recreation budget already, Administrator Kevin Bronson said. The exact amount of additional staffing required to work gates and concessions will depend on how many tournaments the city hosts each year.
Phase One of the park includes at least 75 parking spaces, two 225-foot fields and a 400-foot field that can serve as two 200-foot fields — meaning two games with younger teams can be played simultaneously.
Over the past eight years, the city has focused on its infrastructure necessities, completely rebuilding its electrical system and improving degraded water and sewer lines, Ramey said.
The city began enforcing its ordinances on dilapidated housing and offered incentives to building speculative homes in town to make it a more attractive place to visit and live.
“We have lots of travel ball teams in Oconee County, and they go all over this state, all over the Southeast, playing,” Poole said. “We hope now that they'll be able to play some travel ball games here in Westminster and Oconee County, and maybe some of the grandparents who can't make that trip down to the coast and things like that, they'll be able to come and watch their kids play travel ball.”
Long-term plans for the park include a new indoor facility with gyms and offices, additional baseball diamonds, walking trails and playground equipment. For now, the city is stretching its $7 million budget to have the three new fields ready for spring practices.
By fall 2025, Poole expects to have full programming at the site with a concession stand and restrooms.
For Ramey, who has three more years in his current term as mayor, this has been a long game worth the wait — and he said it will continue to pay off.
“When we invest in our youth, we invest in our future,” he said. “It’s as simple as that.”