The Village of Hodge is accepting sealed bids until Monday, November 1st for the purchase of the old Hodge baseball field, located just north of the Hodge Baptist Church. Bids will be opened and taken into consideration at the November 2nd town council meeting that is slated to begin at 5:00pmat the Town Hall. The sale of the field was approved at a special Town Council meeting that was held on October 12th after it was determined the location didn’t serve a purpose for the Village anymore.
Many years ago the field was one of the more focal points of sporting activities in Jackson Parish dating back to the 1940’s. Amateur, high school and semi-pro baseball and softball teams routinely used the facility for over 50 years that was complete with a large parking area, spacious stands behind home plate, concession area, hurricane fencing and lights on the field on top of 60 foot poles.
Age and heavy usage finally caught up to the facility and without any repairs or improvements made it was finally deemed unsafe for use. The stands, fencing and light poles were torn down and removed leaving just a vacant, grassy lot that the Village of Hodge had to maintain, which according to Hodge Mayor Gerald Palmer had become burdensome.
“Years ago it served a great purpose for our community but all that is gone away now,” said Palmer. “Now it is nothing but an area that we have to spend labor and fuel to keep it mowed so it won’t become an eyesore.”