The Destin City Council voted Monday night to partner with Destin Little League on major improvements to Threadgill Park, including new LED lighting and artificial turf for the infields, following a lengthy discussion that initially saw pushback on the project’s scope.

• Matt Dahlman, treasurer of the Destin Little League Board, presented the proposal to split costs on roughly $300,000 in upgrades to the youth sports facility that is maintained by the Destin Little League.

The league has raised $100,000 and secured donated LED lighting fixtures from EAG-LED, leaving installation and turf costs to be shared with the city.

“Eight years ago we were operating at a ‘money in, money out,’ sometimes more money out than money in,” Dahlman told the council. “We made a conscious effort to really go after city leaders and other businesses to help support our league.”

Dahlman highlighted the success of their previous partnership with the city, which built batting cages at Threadgill Park. The league contributed $45,000 while the city provided approximately $60,000 for that project.

The current proposal includes LED lighting installation costing approximately $22,000 and artificial turf for both infields with an estimated $230,000 price tag from a year-old quote. Dahlman emphasized the league is prepared to split whatever the final expenses turn out to be as the project develops.

• “I’ve coached baseball for the last 15 years. Been to every facility in the southeast,” Dahlman said. “I promise you, coaching travel baseball…turfing infields is the way that people are doing it now.”

He explained that current field conditions create problems, particularly after rain. “30 minutes of rain, we can’t play,” Dahlman said.

Councilman Torey Geile made the original motion directing staff to ensure compliance with all ordinances and league requirements while both parties contribute 50 percent of costs for lighting and turf improvements. 

However, Councilman Jim Bagby offered a substitute motion to approve only the lighting upgrade and require competitive bidding for the turf installation through a Request for Proposals process.

“Nice to have, I agree with you… but it is a want, not a need,” Bagby said about the artificial turf. “And that’s $115,000.”

Bagby’s substitute motion, seconded by Councilwoman Sandy Trammell, failed 2-3 with Council members Geile, Teresa Hebert, and Rodney Braden voting no. Councilman Kevin Schmidt abstained and Councilman Dewey Destin was absent.

The council then approved Geile’s original motion directing staff to ensure compliance with all ordinances and league requirements while both parties contribute 50 percent of costs for lighting and turf improvements. The motion also directs the city to pursue a FRDAP grant for possible reimbursement.

Mayor Bobby Wagner noted the city could score well on a FRDAP application, potentially securing up to $400,000 in matching funds. The grant operates as reimbursement, allowing the city to complete the project first and seek repayment if successful.

• “The biggest point-persona of this whole grant is having a nonprofit local arm that is basically bringing this to the city versus the city bringing it to the community,” Wagner said.

Schmidt abstained from both votes due to his unpaid position on the Little League board, citing potential appearance of impropriety.

The night’s discussion included questions about lighting compatibility with existing systems at other city facilities. Councilwoman Sandy Trammell asked whether the league had approached Musco, the company that installed lights at Morgan Sports Center, to maintain consistency across city facilities.

Dahlman explained they hadn’t sought multiple bids because EAG-LED approached them with the donation offer

Finance Director Krystal Strickland confirmed the city already has $334,000 budgeted for lighting upgrades at Threadgill Park in 2027, along with $36,000 for clay infield improvements. The current proposal would accelerate those improvements while upgrading to artificial turf.

• “The artificial turf would be an upgrade. That wouldn’t be an eligible use of replacement money,” Strickland said. “But if you were to bring some money to the plate for the upgrade, and we brought our renewal and replacement funds, that could be a very good match.”

Councilwoman Trammell raised concerns about stormwater drainage issues that must be addressed before turf installation, comparing it to problems with Airport Road where stormwater issues weren’t resolved before paving.

City Manager Larry Jones said staff would include stormwater considerations in their due diligence as the project moves forward.

Bagby expressed frustration with the timing of the proposal, suggesting the project should have been discussed during the regular budget cycle to allow for grant applications and proper planning.

• “If this had been brought up in the normal budgeting cycle process, we could have applied for the FRDAP months ago and probably have it,” Bagby said.

However, Councilman Schmidt defended the approach, noting no commitments were being made immediately and emphasizing the value of the league’s contribution.

“I have yet to see another organization or nonprofit come to this city to do anything near what this little league organization is trying to do with the city of Destin’s park,” Schmidt said.

Dahlman acknowledged the volunteer board’s limitations in grant writing and formal processes.

• “We’re not grant writers. We are just fundraisers and volunteers,” Dahlman said. “We are just coming [to council] saying this is a goal of ours and we have $100,000 that we’re willing to help commit to upgrade a city park.”

The final vote on Geile’s motion passed 5-0, with Schmidt abstaining and Destin absent.

The council reached consensus for a cooperative agreement reflecting the 50-50 partnership, with the Little League contributing its $100,000 in raised funds plus donated lighting fixtures while the city covers remaining costs.

Councilmember Braden moved to bring the turf concept and FRDAP grant proposal to the Parks and Recreation Committee for information and support of the grant application process. That motion passed 6-0.

Council considers parking property near Threadgill Park

Later in the meeting, the council addressed a complementary issue to the Threadgill Park improvements: additional parking for the facility.

Councilman Schmidt presented a motion to explore purchasing property at 446 Calhoun Avenue, which borders the city park and recently became available again after previous negotiations fell through years ago.

• “Additional parking for that park would be a huge benefit,” Schmidt said. “I also do believe that we could possibly use that parking for the other accesses a little bit further down the road.”

Schmidt noted the property currently has a tenant, allowing the city to collect rent during any design phase. He suggested using the city’s parking fund, which contains over $2 million, as a potential funding source.

The property likely contains wetlands and drainage issues that would need to be addressed before conversion to parking, Schmidt acknowledged.

Councilman Geile requested adding evaluation of a drainage easement across the street on the north side of Hickory as an additional parking option, noting it wouldn’t have wetland issues.

Schmidt agreed to add that evaluation to his motion.

The discussion included questions about how wetland percentages would affect negotiations and property valuation. Attorney Kim Kopp explained the appraisal would include wetland assessments and that staff would coordinate throughout the negotiation process.

Geile noted the city owns several unused properties that could potentially be designated as wetland mitigation areas if needed to offset development of the parking site.

The motion passed unanimously, directing the attorney to negotiate a purchase agreement within reason of the city’s appraisal while having the city manager work with staff on limitations, wetland issues and cost estimates for converting the property to parking.