The Smithfield Town Council voted Tuesday to earmark $3.3 million from the municipality’s general fund to move forward on a $16.3 million baseball stadium project that will serve as the home field for the local Smithfield Tobs.
The revised financial plan allocates $10.8 million to the first phase of construction, which will include a full baseball diamond, grandstand seating, bullpens, concession areas, a ticket office, a parking lot and a scoreboard supplied by the Tobs, while $5.5 million is slated for the second phase.
The new budget exceeds earlier projections by roughly $3 million to $5 million, a jump that officials attribute to a larger footprint and additional parking spaces required by the chosen site, which is notably bigger than the original location.
Mayor Andy Moore and several residents recalled that the initial proposal had been floated at $6 million to $8 million, underscoring the steep rise in costs that has sparked public scrutiny.
Council Vote Breaks Tie
Council member Doris Wallace warned that neglecting pressing community issues, such as repairing a deteriorating fence in Gertrude (Brady Johnson Memorial) Park, could erode public trust and suggested the town’s resources might be better spent on maintaining existing infrastructure before expanding recreational facilities.
The vote on the fund balance allocation ended in a 3‑3 tie before Mayor Moore broke the deadlock, casting the decisive ballot that secured a 4‑3 approval of the motion.
The decision reflects a broader tension in Smithfield between ambitious recreational projects and the day‑to‑day needs of its neighborhoods, a debate likely to continue as the town moves toward groundbreaking.