On the Tuesday, Nov. 8, general election ballot, Cook County voters will make a decision concerning $2.5 million in Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funding for recreation.
The SPLOST funds would allow the development of new ball fields on land purchased by the County for a new rec complex on the north side of Highway 37 near the high school.
More space and updated facilities will be the advantage that the local Recreation Department will be able to offer on the 108 acres, said Adel-Cook Recreation Director Michael Folsom.
The local Recreation Board is continuing to work on a master plan that will specify what facilities will be located at the new site, Folsom said. The Highway 37 property will include such improvements as more ball fields and better lighting.
The current Recreation Complex on Massee Post Road was built in 1975. The facilities are overcrowded when teams play and need to be updated, Folsom said.
This past spring, 687 kids on 47 teams were limited to six fields at the Massee Post Complex.
“The numbers are bigger than the facility, which is a good problem,” Folsom said. “We want to include every kid in Cook County.” The Adel-Cook Rec Department offers softball and baseball for local kids during the spring. Children and youth ages 5 to 17 participate in rec programs ranging from T-ball to fastpitch softball.
Facilities at the new rec property on 37 will be phased in as funds become available, Folsom said. The Massee Post complex could then be used for practice fields and overrun of teams from the new complex.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners felt that the land off Highway 37 would be better suited for development of ball fields and other recreational facilities than land that had been previously designated for that purpose on 16th Street in Adel.
Adel-Cook Rec also offers youth basketball from January to the end of February. Rec football and soccer start in August and draw a big crowd of kids, Folsom said. Last year, the numbers were 120 for football and 150 for soccer.
More coaches and volunteers are needed to help support all rec programs, Folsom said.
Adel-Cook Recreation had some great accomplishments in 2016. The 17U Girls Softball Team won the state championship, and the 10U Girls were district champs. Adel-Cook hosted the Class C 10U Girls state championship and 14U Girls state championship tournaments.
Folsom noted the tremendous local economic impact that the district tournaments and state tournaments, in particular, have on the community with out-of-town visitors staying in local motels and buying gas, food, and other items from local businesses.
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