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North-county stadium idea on whose time has not come

Beaufort County has much higher priorities for next 20 years

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Beaufort County officials are wasting precious time and resources studying the possibility of building a 6,000-seat stadium at Burton Wells Regional Park in northern Beaufort County.

A stadium of that size is such a low priority when it comes to parks and recreation needs in this county that it shouldn't register on anyone's screen.

Unless there is no doubt that it would pay for itself through user fees or through additional accommodations and hospitality tax revenue generated by visitors drawn here by the stadium, it should not be done. Beaufort County cannot afford to subsidize such a facility given the lack of basic park services here, especially in southern Beaufort County.

County Council members have asked staff to determine the feasibility of a stadium to potentially include it in long-term regional planning efforts under way and to reshape the master plan for the 300-acre park.

We'll grant that a long-term plan would be the context in which to study such a facility, but this is such a pipe dream given the basic needs not being met, it's hardly worth the time and effort. We're looking at playing catch-up for decades.

The county already has put $8 million into Burton Wells, which opened in 2004. Facilities include three new baseball diamonds, multipurpose fields and a recreation and administration building that includes a weight room and basketball and racquetball courts. Plans include improving the park's lake, as well as walking trails and picnic areas.

How about sending a little of that largesse south of the Broad River, where we struggle to meet practice and game demands with very few resources? For goodness sakes, we have one public swimming pool on the southern Beaufort County mainland.

The Southern Beaufort County Regional Plan lays out in very large, stark numbers our parks and recreation needs. It starts with a population projection at buildout of 134,842 people.

The plan states: "Southern Beaufort County's rapid rate of growth is projected to cost the region over $66 million in the next `15 to 20 years to maintain an acceptable level of service for park land and facilities. Existing dedicated revenue sources projected for this time period only account for approximately $21 million, leaving a $45 million funding gap. An additional 525 acres are needed, primarily in the Bluffton area.

"In addition to the cost of serving the region's parks and recreation needs," the report continues, "the availability of additional land to accommodate future park needs is of immediate concern. ... As the region continues to grow, the availability of land for future parks becomes scarcer and more expensive to acquire, giving immediacy to this issue."

County officials paid for and approved this plan; they should heed it. The emphasis on "immediate" should not be ignored.