A proposed renovation of Rocket Park has some community members requesting amenities they believe would be an asset to the area.
Wayne Wolford asked city officials to consider placing an American flag and a large pavilion.
“I reviewed the proposal for Rocket ballfield,” said Wolford. “Everything seemed to be OK. It’s not taking the ballfield, and it’s not taking away the history. I assume they were minimizing the ballfield, enclosing it and having lights down there so the youth and older could use it for baseball practices. I’ve got two proposals. One, I would appreciate an America flag down there.”
Rocket Park takes its name from the McMinnville Rockets, a semi-pro baseball team from the 1930s that utilized the park. Often falling into disrepair, it was renovated by Young Men United, of which Wolford is a member. The area is now a place of historic significance.
“The other thing I want to propose is having a pavilion down there,” said Wolford. “There are, I think, three small areas where you can sit and eat. I don’t have an exact size for you, but I would like to see a pavilion about three times the size of the pavilion at Ramsey Park. This could be used for a band, family reunion, whatever. If you want to put benches in there, that’s fine.”
A pavilion would also be used for events such as Juneteenth, which is held at Rocket Park annually. The next Juneteenth is June 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Something like that would be a great asset to the community,” said Wolford. “We could do more things down there. That’s my proposal.”
Vice Mayor Ben Newman asked how many people attend Juneteenth, to which Wolford answered, “Off and on during the day, over 300 people. We’ve also had a Warren County reunion there and people came in from out of town. The building down there is not large enough for a reunion.”
Currently, officials are waiting on a master plan for future renovation of Rocket Park. Newman invited Wolford to be part of those discussions when the plans are presented to the city for its consideration.