MILL SPRING -Searcy Field in Mill Spring should soon be used for multiple sports and the county saved money through a gift of grading from Clary Hood.

The Polk County Board of Commissioners recently heard from recreation director Jerry Stensland about the progress of Searcy Field upgrades.

Stensland said over the last couple of years, recreation has looked at Searcy Field as an underutilized facility. The land, located off  Hwy. 108 in Mill Spring adjacent to the Polk County Ag Center, was donated several years ago by the Searcy family and has been used as a practice field for baseball and softball.

Richard and Vivian Searcy donated the land to Polk County Recreation in 1994, with the stipulation that it must always be used for youth recreational opportunities.

Stensland said the county wanted to get more value out of the property so last year invested funds for a master plan. The backstops were moved to the corners to get the equivalent of a full size football field. Parking, a playground, a half basketball court, restrooms, walking track and storage are also proposed at Searcy Field.

Stensland said $85,000 of start-up money was budgeted to get started.

The intent this year was to at least get the grading done and grass growing. Stensland said the county fortunately ran into a benefactor in Clary Hood. Hood sold property to the county for a new law enforcement center and is developing that property as part of the sale.

“Clary Hood came over and gave us an incredible value of grading over at Searcy,” Stensland told commissioners. “We didn’t pay anything for the grading. They actually did more work than we would have done if we had contracted it out.”

Stensland said Hood’s crews cleared out brush at Searcy to make the place look better as well.

“We are extremely grateful for that,” said Stensland.

The grading is now finished and seeding has been placed on the banks. Stensland also said the field has been reshaped to drain like a football field should.

Stensland said the recreation department is working with the Polk County Youth Association on ways to partner on fundraising for that association to use the field for football. He said he hopes the new fields will open for full use in the fall of 2017.

Commissioner Ted Owens suggested sending Hood a letter of appreciation for donating his time and work in doing this for the county.

Commissioner Ray Gasperson said the county should also give county manager Marche Pittman credit on this one. He said they were talking about the law enforcement center one day with Hood and Pittman brought up the Searcy Field project and asked if there was any way the county and Hood could coordinate something and Hood said he would just donate that.