Central Magnet Baseball, Softball Teams Get Board Approval for Fields

The ball fields are expected to be ready by the 2025 season.

Rutherford County Board of Education Backs Ball Field Project in 6-1 Vote
Only board member Coy Young opposed the proposal because he wanted more time to gather input from the Lascassas community on the plan for a high school baseball field on the Lascassas Elementary School campus.
The plan approved by the council includes the use of the Kittrell Community Park field by the Central Magnet Middle School baseball team
Commissioner Robert Peay Jr. urges council to consider needs of Kittrell children
The plan also calls for Central Magnet high school and middle school softball teams to use the fields at Buchanan Elementary School
Project costs for the four areas combined are $305,000.

Central Magnet School’s baseball and softball teams will now have fields off campus, the Rutherford County Board of Education decided Thursday.

Unlike the ball fields provided at other schools, Central Magnet’s campus, which serves high-achieving students on East Main Street in downtown Murfreesboro, lacks space for teams. Central Magnet also needs fields after Murfreesboro government asked the school to find other locations rather than use ball fields in city parks shared by youth and adult recreation leagues.

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Only board member Coy Young dissented in the 6-1 vote on a plan that includes the varsity boys baseball team getting a field at Lascassas Elementary School in a rural community he represents northeast of Murfreesboro.

Young said he wants Central Magnet teams to have ball fields, but asked that the decision be delayed for 30 days to provide more information to Lascassas residents concerned about traffic and campus use.

“We didn’t communicate properly,” said Young, who is stepping down from the board after August and will be replaced by recently elected Stan Vaught.

Young provided similar comments about communicating with Lascassas residents about the plans at the Aug. 20 work session to prepare for the Aug. 22 meeting.

“This is a slap in the face to this community,” said Young, who served as board president during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We don’t want to lose the support of these parents.”

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Commissioner Peay urges council to consider needs of Kittrell children

Before the vote, the council also heard from supporters of the project, including Central Magnet head baseball coach Jason Patterson.

“We’re ready to have our own place,” Patterson told the council.

While known for serving academically high-achieving students, Central Magnet has enjoyed success with numerous sports teams and athletes since opening in 2010 in a building previously known as Central Middle, 1972-2010, and Central High School, 1950-1972.

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The board’s decision includes spending $305,000 to improve fields for Central Magnet teams, including the softball teams and the middle school baseball team:

The high school and middle school softball teams will play on the fields at Buchanan Elementary School on the city’s southeast side;
The middle school baseball team will play at a community park in Kittrell, east of downtown Murfreesboro, pending an agreement on a former gymnasium between the school board and the Rutherford County Preservation Board.

Before the vote, the council also heard from Rutherford County Commissioner Robert Peay Jr., who represents an eastern district that includes the rural community of Kittrell.

“The people of Kittrell want to make sure we have facilities for our children,” Peay told council.

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Central Magnet Ball Fields Project Costs

Lascassas Elementary High School Baseball Team

Storage building: $10,000
Closing work: $25,000
IField work and portable throwing mound: $10,000
Notice board: $45,000
Electrical work with district maintenance personnel providing work: $25,000
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Middle School Baseball Team at Kittrell Community Park

Storage building: $10,000
Portable Pitchers Mound and Infield Work: $10,000
Note: The arrangement is pending an agreement with the Rutherford County Preservation Board regarding the former Kittrell Gymnasium

Buchanan Elementary Softball Team

Storage building: $10,000
Field work and basics: $10,000
Rebuild electrical work with district maintenance personnel providing labor: $25,000
Display board and controls: $45,000
A set of stands: $25,000

Buchanan Elementary School Middle School Softball Team

Field work and basics: $15,000
Fence repairs: $15,000
A set of stands: $25,000

Total project costs: $305,000

Source: Rutherford County Board of Education Meeting for August 22, 2024