The Troy SportsPlex and Troy Recreation Center were both heavily damaged by the tornado that blew through the city back in March and repairs are well underway. 

Troy Parks and Recreation Director Dan Smith said that delays in materials have caused some delays at the rec center. 

“We had the tornado on March 15 that came through Troy and created a lot of damage, including major damage at the SportsPlex and Rec Center,” Smith said. “Both of those are being addressed by contractors in terms of repairs and renovations, which are moving forward. The Rec Center roof is the next thing that we are waiting on and the materials have been ordered since March, but have not arrived yet.

“The gymnasium roof will be repaired, the indoor pool roof will be repaired and the fitness center roof will receive some attention, as well.”

Smith said he wasn’t sure when the repairs can be expected to be completed but said that they are working on getting everything back in even better shape as soon as possible.

“As soon as the roof to the gymnasium is fixed, we can then immediately start installing the new wooden basketball floor after the old one was destroyed by the water from the storm,” said Smith. “There will also be some other cosmetic repairs overhead and throughout the building that will take place at that time. There is just some room damage and ceiling damage that can’t be addressed until the roof itself is repaired.”

Smith said that Miracle League Field will be completely replaced due to the damage it incurred as well as chainlink repairs that are being done to the fencing throughout the SportsPlex. Also, the batting cages were severely damaged by the storm and repairs to the coach pitch machine are expected to be completed by August. 

Also, nine sets of bleachers at the SportsPlex were destroyed and replacement bleachers are expected to be installed by June 7. Additionally, the bridge on the walking trail at the SportsPlex was destroyed during the tornado and contractors are currently working on replacing it, as well. 

At the May 27 Troy City Council Meeting, a new lighting project for all of the fields at the SportsPlex was approved. The cost of the entire project will be $1,622,000 and will replace all of the lighting at the SportsPlex, as well as Franklin Park, the Miracle League Field and the soccer fields. 

Smith said that lumping the entire project together will ultimately save the city $74,000. All of the lighting at these fields included Metal Halide Bulbs, which are almost obsolete at this point. Smith said that the lighting on side one of the SportsPlex is 35 years old, while the lighting at Franklin Park is 45 years old, Side 2 of the SportsPlex is 29 years old and the lighting at the soccer complex is 25 years old. 

“From a safety standpoint this will be a much better situation and from a management and operational standpoint this will be a much better situation,” Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said to the City Council. “This is something Dan and I have been talking about for years and this is a very reputable company with very high quality lighting and, again, safety wise and operationally this is absolutely the way to go.”

The project will be completed by Musco Lighting and will come with a 25-year warranty for all bulbs and equipment. The lighting will now feature all LED lighting. Smith said that the cost of replacing bulbs – which has been done by Troy Utilities in the past – has become an issue over the years.

“This past February we spent right at $9,000 just replacing blown metal halite bulbs on Side 1-2 to get ready for spring baseball season,” Smith emphasized. “We have to do that twice a year. So, we’re spending about $15,000 a year just on replacing those bulbs. With Musco, there is a 25-year guarantee, which means all of their electronics, lighting, bulbs and everything is tied into WiFi and they monitor all of the lighting.

“If a bulb goes out, they come out and they fix it. That takes a world of pressure off utilities. We had to lean on them so heavily to replace our bulbs and they’ve done a wonderful job, but we’re able to take the burden off our utility department with this.” 

While the repairs and renovations ongoing at the SportsPlex may take awhile, there are much more things coming down the line for recreation in Troy for residents to be excited about.

“We’re going to be making the repairs to the chainlink at the SportsPlex and eventually completely replacing all of the chainlink,” Smith continued. “This will all tie into a plan for major renovations at all of our recreational facilities in Troy, including Washington Park, Murphee Park, Academy Street Park, Franklin Park, Knox Street Park and the SportsPlex. The Mayor and I have looked at a plan for major renovations at all of these facilities and I’m very excited for what that will mean for the community and for our facilities.”