Work on CHS softball field to remain paused until February

Work on the new softball field at Clinton High School will remain paused until after a hearing in February in Anderson County Chancery Court in a lawsuit filed over its construction.

After Anderson County school leaders were informed that the fact that the Clinton High School softball team did not have its own field while the baseball team did constituted a violation of Title IX, which ensures equal resources for male and female students in schools that receive federal funding, Director of Schools Dr. Tim Parrott embarked upon a plan to rectify the situation. Construction on the field began earlier this year, but was soon halted after officials learned that while the project had been approved by county zoning officials, it had not been approved by their city counterparts. Parrott says it was an unintentional mistake on his part.

At the same time, David Worthington and his wife, who live next to the once-vacant field where the field is being constructed, lodged complaints about the layout of the field and its lights, which shine directly into their windows at night. Worthington has said that if the field could be rotated to aim the lights away from his property, he would drop the lawsuit he filed against the Anderson County School Board and not stand in the way of its construction. The project has since received city approval, but Worthington, a former Clinton City Councilman, has also stated that he does not believe that the city is following its own zoning ordinances.

On Tuesday, a hearing in the lawsuit was rescheduled for February in Anderson County Chancery Court, meaning that work will remain halted on the project until after that time, or unless an agreement can be reached by the two sides.

If there is no resolution, the delay means that the Lady Dragon softball team will likely be playing its games again at Lakefront Park this spring.