Rocky Top unveils ballfield upgrades
Construction of the new 400-seat bleachers and press box has been completed at the George Templin Memorial Athletic Field in Rocky Top. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
Work to erect a new fence around the facilities will begin after Labor Day, and already there are plans to have fireworks displays in conjunction with Lake City Middle School football games scheduled there for Sept. 24 and Oct. 1, he said.
The new bleachers and press box replaced the ones removed in April as work began on a major upgrade of the city-owned and operated ballpark.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Councilman Jeff Gilliam said.
The council last December approved a $904,090 contract for modernizing the ballpark, which included the bleachers and attached press box, concessions stand, and restrooms.
First Place Finish, Inc., an Oak Ridge-based contractor, was awarded the contract for the project, for which the city received a state recreation grant of up to $566,000.
The city must match the amount of grant funding dollar for dollar, and will do so using a U.S. Department of Agriculture low-interest loan.
Besides the new bleachers, with about 400 seats, and other ballpark features, the city also will use part of the grant to rebuild a walking trail around the park, and install a new chain-link fence around the athletic field.
Ellis has said that the seating area and other facilities, including restrooms, at the ballfield needed upgrades that would make them compliant with standards mandated by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
Work began April 12 with the teardown of the existing bleachers.
Users of the ballfield include Little League football, the middle school football program, and some slow-pitch softball leagues.
The $566,000 grant came in 2025 from TDEC’s Local Parks and Recreation Fund. Rocky Top was among four area cities to receive grants from the fund, for a total of $1.27 million.
Mayor Kerry Templin said at the time that the city had two years to make use of the grant before it expired.
The ballfield already has a new scoreboard, which was installed in 2024 at a cost of about $12,000.
In other business last week, the City Council:
n Rescheduled its September meeting to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, because the city manager will be out of town on the regular meeting night, which would have been Sept. 20. The council normally meets on the third Thursday of each month.
n Approved a $1.61 million loan from the Tennessee’s State Revolving Fund to pay for sewer projects. About $805,000 of the loan will be “forgiven,” leaving the city to repay the rest.
n Set the annual city Trunk-or-Treat event for 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31 (Halloween) at the Templin ballfield.