Improvements Coming to Jenings Field

By: Shelia Mader

The Jackson County Times staff  met with Marianna Recreation Director Jeff Faircloth last week for an update on the status of the work at Jenings Field. He outlined the first step in the long-awaited restoration of Jenings Field, one of the city’s oldest ballparks that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Michael in 2018.

Phase one of the project will focus on rebuilding the foundation of the park, beginning with construction of a new pavilion that will include restrooms, similar to the facility that existed before the storm. Plans also call for installation of a new playground, along with a parking lot and sidewalks. The sidewalks are expected to run along Jefferson Street in front of the pavilion and playground area.

While an exact timeline has not been finalized, officials expect the first phase to take at least a year to complete, with city leaders emphasizing that it is better to be realistic than overly optimistic. Additional phases are planned but not yet underway. Future work is expected to include converting the former Pony League field into a multi-purpose field and refurbishing the old Dixie Youth field to make it usable for baseball again.

While a traditional concession stand is not currently part of the plan, the pavilion will serve as a central gathering spot, and the possibility of food trucks has been mentioned as a future option. City officials say the project is now back on track after earlier delays tied to grant issues and believe they are in a stronger position to move forward with improvements to Jenings Field.

A little trivia – Jenings Field is named after a Jackson County family. One of the descendants was Foster Jenings (former tax collector for Jackson County), hence the spelling of the name Jenings.