With renovations complete, Fisher Park can expand playing season

February 14, 2022 | 12:07 am

Updated February 13, 2022 | 9:04 pm

Jack Fisher Park | Photo by Ryan Richardson

Renovations are officially complete at Jack C. Fisher Park, and parks officials are hoping to bring in more crowds than ever with extended weeks of operation, synthetic turf fields, and the first playground on the grounds since the early 2000s.

Bryson Morrow, Recreation Facilities Manager, said that the move to synthetic turf allowed the facility to be rebranded and to better accommodate T-ball, collegiate softball and several other leagues.

The addition of the turf is also expected to decrease the number of cancellations that come with a dirt field due to poor weather and playing conditions. Similarly, the park can been open during an expanded competition period, meaning more tournaments and events.

With the 2022 season on the horizon, Morrow said they plan to host 22 tournaments and 35 events — up from 21 and 32, respectively, a year ago.

The entrance to the park also got a facelift. An art piece made up of a group of baseball bats and a glove greets teams, families and other visitors and provides the opportunity to take photos.

There are also four batting cages that were installed, allowing players to warm up — or the community can utilize them in the off hours of the park.

“These cages are used by many local high school teams, a lot of college teams and a lot of travel teams. Players have noted that when they travel around the state, there are not many batting cages that are available to them as a warm-up area,” Morrow said.

To help with the hot summer months, Morrow said they added shade structures with fans between some of the fields, which will be able to seat 29 visitors while eating and socializing.

There were also 190 parking spaces added to accommodate hosting larger tournaments.

Amanda Rogers, Director of the City of Owensboro’s Parks and Recreation, said that there are plans right now to build flood-style lights on the fields. 

The entire project ended up finishing $110,000 under budget.

“We believe that the money put into renovations was well-spent to remain in a competitive market, as many communities are building complexes and installing synthetic turf fields around the area,” Morrow said.

February 14, 2022 | 12:07 am

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