What’s become of $200K that was to renovate dilapidated Bluffton ball field, residents ask?
A historically Black baseball field in Bluffton that’s been in disrepair for years has received about $200,000 in government funds since 2006, leaving the nearby community wondering why more hasn’t been done with the money.
“You can go into any other community and see that these kids have quality, fun, safe amenities for them to play on,” said Sharon Brown, who lives a few houses from the field. “Our kids [have] to come here on this. They deserve so much more.”
Eagles Field, located at Buck Island Road and Bluffton Parkway features broken glass and dilapidated buildings. There was hope 10 years ago the field would be renovated when The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette wrote about conditions there, but that hasn’t happened.
“Eagles Field is currently in horrible condition and no updates or improvements have been made. Windows are shattered, dugouts falling apart, debris everywhere,” another resident said who didn’t want her name used.
Eagles Field has been a staple of Bluffton’s Black community for decades, with plaques on the field’s Wall of Honor commemorating players and owners as far back as the 1960s. Today, the field is still used by members of the community and two local neighborhood schools — Bluffton Middle and Cross Schools.
The home of the Bluffton Eagles baseball team has changed hands several times during its existence. It was originally owned by Albert Green, namesake of the nearby Albert Green Lane, then taken over by the courts before being awarded to the Bluffton Eagles Community Action Committee in 2001.
In 2006, when the county was building Bluffton Parkway, part of Eagles Field was condemned and the committee that oversaw it at the time received about $150,000 for a small section of the field that was taken for the roadway. But there is no record of whatever happened to that money.
None of the members of the old board could be reached by the newspapers for comment. A check of court records turned up no lawsuit or lien filed against the group.
In 2009, the Bluffton Eagles Community Action Committee became a 503-C nonprofit organization and today is run by new members, headed by Bluffton Town Councilman Fred Hamilton.
When the new committee took over, there were no funds transferred to it and no transition support offered, Hamilton said. Since then, it’s been a struggle to raise funds, he said.
“You can’t compare [Eagles Field] to what the government or county properties look and feel like, because they have the means they have the resources to get things done in a much faster and productive pace than we do,” Hamilton said.
For the years 2019 and 2020, the nonprofit made less than $7,500 in fees, according to the committee’s 990 filings. It ended 2020 with about $32,000 in its treasury and 2021 with about $43,000 on hand, according to filings with the South Carolina Secretary of State’s Office. Most of that money came from fees and fundraisers.
Then, in 2022, Eagles Field was awarded a $50,000 grant from the state 2021-22 General Appropriations Act. With the addition of the grant money, the nonprofit’s balance now is about $93,000, leaving Brown to wonder why that money is just sitting there and not being spent on improvements.
“You’re not gonna tell me, all of a sudden, now these are the things you’re gonna do,” said Brown. “It’s kind of like a reactive thing because somebody’s making some noise.”
Hamilton said instead of spending money on improvements “piecemeal,” the committee prefers to wait until it can afford to fully fund larger projects. The first of which, Hamilton said, is to put decent restroom facilities on the site and connect it to town sewers. Hamilton estimated this would cost $200,000.
Hamilton said smaller improvements are made along the way, when the committee can afford them. The group recently built a new backstop and set of bleachers behind home plate, he said.
The situation was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which raised construction prices considerably across the country, Hamilton said.
In the past, the committee tried raising funds by hosting events at the ballfield, but stopped after a concert for a popular Mexican band, Grupo Firme, drew thousands of people to the field in 2021. The concert disturbed neighbors and blocked road access, Brown said.
Hamilton said the committee is pursuing partnerships and other avenues for funding.
When asked how long it would take to raise the rest of the funds needed to make major renovations at the field, Hamilton said it was a fair question, but one he didn’t have an answer for.
“Being patient is important,” he said. “If we were financially prepared to do improvements, it would have been done.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2023 at 10:49 AM.
