Briscoe Park, named in honor of Thomas W. Briscoe, once mayor of Snellville, was founded in 1974 as a community recreation area thanks to money raised by the very first Snellville Days festival. Forty-one years later, the Snellville Days festival is still going strong, and so is Briscoe Park.
But time had taken a toll on some of the park’s facilities. Sports Turf was contracted for the $2.5 million renovation of the softball complex, concessions area, parking, and surrounding walkways. Construction began in October 2014 and final punch-list items are currently underway. The concessions and restrooms were completed and open in time for the 2015 Snellville Days festival, despite combating one of the rainiest winters on record for more than 100 years.
“Where there was just one softball field, there are now two,” comments Bill Pronevitch, project manager at Sports Turf. “We were able to effectively double the park’s capacity for hosting team events. The site also features a brand new concessions area and updated restroom facilities surrounded by decorative concrete walkways. We’ve also added new parking, better lighting, walking and running trails, a new playground, and a beautiful hardwood boardwalk winding through a shady wooded area.”
But one of the most remarkable aspects of the renovation is nearly invisible to park-goers. “When we regraded the property and updated the water drainage systems, we added a ‘green’ bio pond,” adds Pronevitch.
Adjacent to the playing fields, hidden beneath beautiful landscaping, are layers of sand and stone specially designed to capture and filter runoff water then efficiently drain it away. Pronevitch says, “For all that the bio pond does for the park and the environment, it’s kind of amazing that it hides in plain sight.”
Another ambitious Sports Turf project nearing completion is the Valley Sports Plex in Valley, AL. This $1.5 million renovation project updates the nearly 20 year old five-field softball complex with new fields, fencing, walkways, lighting, and storm water management. Completion is slated for mid-July.
About Sports Turf
Sports Turf received the 2014 Field Builder of the Year Award from SportsField Management Magazine. They have completed more than 600 renovations and construction projects over their 20 year history, including projects at Mississippi State, Auburn University, University of Alabama’s Bryant Denny Stadium, the 1996 Olympic Softball Fields in Columbus, GA, and the Atlanta Falcons’ training facility in Flowery Branch, GA. They are licensed in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
