City Council delays vote on MLB youth academy at George Ward Park

The Birmingham City Council — at its regular meeting for Tuesday, Feb. 26 — voted to delay its consideration of a controversial proposed agreement between the city and Major League Baseball in which MLB would build a youth academy at busy George Ward Park near Glen Iris.

The agreement would allow MLB to invest about $10 million in a year-round baseball academy at the park. The facility would also feature various academic, tutoring, mentoring and life skills programs.

The council voted to delay the item for one week after a motion by Council President Pro Tempore William Parker, who is a member of the city's park board and also serves as the chairman of the council’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Committee.

However, the council passed a resolution proposed by councilor Hunter Williams and amended by councilor Clinton Woods which recommended that the Birmingham Parks and Recreation Board look at the feasibility of locating the MLB youth academy at another site, such as the old Banks Middle School property in South East Lake, Cooper Green Park or a baseball facility on Red Lane Road in Huffman.

The language in Williams’ original resolution only mentioned the Banks site.

Numerous Glen Iris residents and other users of George Ward Park have raised concerns the last few days that the MLB facility would take away or reduce the size of some popular facilities at the park.

For example, organizers of a long-running annual LGBTQ softball tournament have complained that they would lose some fields and have to find another place to hold that event.

However, a majority of the council — including Woods, Parker, Steven Hoyt, Wardine Alexander and Crystal Smitherman — seemed to be in favor of locating the academy at George Ward Park.

Several members, including Woods and Parker, said that there was a lot of misinformation being spread about the plans for the academy and how it would affect the rest of the park.

Hoyt argued that MLB was offering the city a great opportunity to help its youth. “If we mess around and lose $10 million, shame on us,” he said.

“It would be a travesty for our city and our youth to not have this opportunity,” Alexander said.

City Council President Valerie Abbott, who lives in Glen Iris, expressed concerns about the George Ward Park site.

“Yes, everyone is in favor of doing things for our children,” Abbott said. “The problem and the concern is that the park is fully used now.”

She said that some of the activities currently at the park, including the softball tournament, have an approximate $1.5 million annual economic impact.

“Youth are important, but we have 116 parks in Birmingham that could use that investment,” Abbott said.

Woods said that MLB is willing to look at some other sites in the city, but he argued that the city should not waste time and squander a $10 million investment.

Parker — who said there has been some “fake news” the last several days about the proposal — said the city and the park stakeholders can reach a compromise. “I think we are closer than what you think we are,” he said.