Though the ball fields at Sand Hill Park have been in use since April, there have been a lot of changes to it since the Effingham County Recreation and Parks department first began operating it.
A formal grand opening and dedication will be held tonight at 7:15 at Sand Hill as the ECRP shows off the improvements made there over the last few months.
“It’s nice to get the playing part of it complete,” said ECRP director Clarence Morgan.
The ECRP had two ball fields there previously. Those were torn down a few years ago, and now in their place are three new ball fields, complete with covered bleachers and covered seating areas for players and coaches.
In addition to Sand Hill’s makeover, the park has three soccer fields, a walking trail and a strip for model airplanes. The park once was used for helicopter training before the land was sold to the county.
“It’s a first-class ball park,” Morgan said. “I’ve had a couple of people from outside the county tell me how nice it was, and I didn’t know them from Adam’s housecat.”
The park also has a pond that is stocked with more than 4,000 fish, according to Morgan.
Even before tonight’s ribbon cutting, the park will be put to use — there are fall baseball league games scheduled for 5:30. Tonight will be the second night for play in the league.