Parks+Rec

Fort Walton Beach to expand artificial turf project at Preston Hood Athletic Complex

Fort Walton Beach City Council approved a $1.06 million project to install artificial turf and reconfigure two baseball/softball fields at Preston Hood Athletic Complex, expanding previous improvements.

Jared Williams

The Fort Walton Beach City Council voted unanimously to approve a $1.06 million expansion of artificial turf installation at the Preston Hood Athletic Complex.

The project will add synthetic turf to Fields 9 and 10, large baseball/softball fields at the complex. ForeverLawn Emerald Coast, LLC will handle both the turf installation and field reconfiguration work.

The majority of the $762,925 turf installation will be funded through $675,000 in Tourist Development Council (TDC) funding, with the remaining $87,925 coming from the Half Cent Sales Tax Fund Balance.

An additional $298,275 for field reconfiguration work, including backstop replacement and batting cage installation, will also be funded through the Half Cent Sales Tax Fund Balance.

This expansion follows the successful installation of synthetic turf on Fields 1-5 earlier in 2024, which has already hosted multiple tournaments. The city began receiving TDC funding in 2022, collecting 12.5% of annual tourist development tax collections for tourism-driven projects.

The new project will maintain consistency across the complex by using the same contractor and materials as the previous installation, according to the city. The cost per square foot remains comparable to the original project, which was awarded through a competitive bid process in October 2023.

Work on Fields 9 and 10 will include comprehensive field reconfiguration, featuring backstop renovation, netting replacement, batting cage installation, and fencing reconfiguration.

The timing of the project has been planned to align with the baseball/softball season.

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