MONTICELLO — Beat 1 Supervisor Carey Hedgepeth said he hopesdirtwork on the Lawrence County Sports Complex will be completedthis year.

“If the weather will hold, I hope to finish by Christmas,” hesaid. “That’s a big if.”

Regardless of the condition of the other fields, the two soccerfields will be ready for season play this spring.

“These two fields should be ready for March play,” Hedgepethsaid.

The county will seed the two soccer fields with grass beforemoving on to the dirtwork on the four baseball/softball diamonds,he said.

Hedgepeth said the two soccer fields are regulation size andcould be used by Lawrence County High School should they ever forma soccer team. This would allow them to avoid building a field oftheir own and the complex’s location, on Highway 27 South next tothe Senior Life Center, is close to the school.

Once the dirtwork on the second soccer field is completed, hesaid, they will begin on the ball field diamonds and the parkinglot. Excess dirt from the soccer fields is being used to fill inthose areas.

The county also recently acquired an additional acre which wason lease to a resident to add to the complex. The resident gave upthe property early so that supervisors could plan how its additionwould best serve the complex, Hedgepeth said.

“It’s still in discussion,” he said, “but I would like to add afew tennis courts there.”

The number of tennis courts added, he said, would depend on howmany can fit on one acre of land. He estimated four.

Once dirtwork on the diamonds and parking lot is completed, hesaid, the county will begin work on the walking track. The walkingtrack meshes the entire complex into one entity while providingpeople a safe place to exercise.

“I would love to see a playground added to that walking track”where it forms a circle, Hedgepeth said. The playground, like thetennis courts, is still being discussed.

The county is performing the dirtwork on the project to keep itstotal cost down. The project was estimated at $1 milliondollars.

“This is something that’s been needed for a long time,” hesaid.

Hedgepeth said he has been in office for 10 years and in thattime the supervisors had completed numerous public projects, namingthe Senior Life Center, Department of Health and Law EnforcementComplex, but perhaps none were more important than the presentproject.

“This will not only help with the youth, but also economicallyby demonstrating our pride in our youth,” Hedgepeth said. “It’s aninvestment in our future.”

The supervisor said the county also needs to begin creating apermanent park committee to handle the daily finances andoperations of the park, but have not begun that process yet.