Port Wentworth Ball Field Now Open To Public

It took more than a dozen angry parents and a 3 On Your Side report, but finally, the gates are open on a Port Wentworth ball field.

It's a follow up to a story I first brought you on News 3 at 6 on Tuesday. I was contacted by concerned neighbors because the gates were locked at Lions Park, a public field, and no one could get in to play.

The city's mayor told me the park is open to the public and anyone can use it any time.

"I know that the Lion's Club won't be using the ball field all of the time, or the complex all of the time, so why can't the kids who live in the north end of town, the fastest growing part of town in the fastest growing city in the county, why can't those kids use it?"

"I promise you this if a child's parents called me today and asked me if they were allowed to play at that ball field, they would be allowed to play there. I promise you that," said Mayor Glenn Jones Tuesday evening.

The gates were locked last night when families went to play ball after my original story aired, but today was a different ball game.

“I wanted to play ball yesterday because it was a nice sunny day, not too hot, not too cold, and when we saw the gate locked we were like what is that, we pay for this my mom and dad pay for the ball park, why can we not play ball so my mom and dad talked to the mayor,” says 11-year old Christel-Ann Ramus.

But Christel-Ann's mom, Kay, didn't hit a home run with Mayor Glenn Jones Tuesday evening,

When we were at the park with the family and their neighbors Wednesday, they mayor showed up and the game went into extra innings.

“You called Mr. Howard and he asked if we could go play, if you could un-lock it and you said no, we needed an appointment,” neighbor, Kay Ramus, says to the mayor.

“No, ma'am, no ma’am,” he responds.

“Yes those were your words,” says Ramus.

“Anytime, I was talking about Well, I apologize if you misconstrued my statements. My statements meant if you wanted to actually rent the property as Mr. Howard is aware of. What I was referring to is anytime you want to use the field for that,” Mayor Jones explains.

Now the gates are open and Christel-Ann and sister may have a field of dreams to play on, but the neighbors at the park today aren't sure if the game will continue once our cameras go away.

“So Mr. Mayor, if folks come out from the community to used the park, is it going to be open for their use? Will the gates be open?” I ask.

“I'll tell you what, this gate will be open from 8 o'clock in the morning until dusk,” he responds. “I would quit as mayor today before I would give up on those children,”

Now neighbors say it'll be a perfect game if the grass is cut, the field fixed up, and bathrooms open.

The mayor tells us that he's still working on an agreement so the lions club can run the park. That has neighbors concerned because they want the park to be for the kids in the community.

The deed from March of 1999, in which the Georgia Ports Authority sells the park to the City of Port Wentworth for $1, it says that the complex must be "used as an active on-going softball complex, parking area and concession area." The deed goes on to say if the complex is not used in such fashion for 6 months or more, it should be given back to the Georgia Ports Authority. I asked the mayor about that on Tuesday and he said that while the deed says that, it won't happen.