Arkansas’ best downtown |
I love baseball, so it's safe to assume that I smile whenever I see a ballpark being built. I'm also an advocate of downtown revitalization, so it's especially pleasing to see a downtown ballpark.
The Town House, once a favorite of mine for plate lunches, is gone in downtown El Dorado. But construction of the baseball stadium is coming along. South Arkansas College, El Dorado's two-year college, didn't create its baseball program until 2021. By 2023, the team was playing in the national junior college World Series and attracting players from throughout this rural region of south Arkansas, north Louisiana and east Texas.
Bill Howard Ballpark, at the corner of West Hillsboro Street and South West Avenue, will house the college team once it's completed later this year. It also will host various tournaments and exhibitions. The city contributed almost $6 million from its economic development tax funds, and Murphy Oil Corp. made a $10 million donation.
The stadium will have synthetic turf, a 30-foot wall in left field, a right-field video board, and a hospitality suite. The facility is being built near the college's Howard Residence Hall. The Murphy Oil gift is also being used for the school's first residence hall.
"The college needs to grow," says Stephanie Tully-Dartez, South Arkansas College president. "Having intercollegiate athletics on our campus has brought new energy and new students. It makes sense to add to our existing athletic facilities as we add to our academic offerings."
Howard Residence Hall initially will house about 100 students with space for expansion. Tully-Dartez says that area of downtown needs to be beautified to complement what has already been done at the nearby main campus, Murphy Arts District and town square.
"These improvements will help beautify the area and ultimately bring more college students to El Dorado," she says. "Those students may eventually decide to stay here, accept jobs, have families and contribute to the overall health of the economy."
Heath Waldrop writes for El Dorado Insider: "The idea behind student housing is to allow for continued enrollment growth by making it more convenient and by offering the kind of college experience students are looking........