Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch is giving the city of Jackson until September 30 to surrender the land encompassing Smith-Wills Stadium to the state or else legal action will be taken.
In a letter penned to Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba on Friday, the state’s attorney general said she has been directed by House Bill 1983, which was enacted by Governor Tate Reeves earlier this year, to enforce language that would revert the Jackson-owned property to its original owner — the state of Mississippi.
Fitch’s letter further instructed Lumumba to garner approval from the Jackson City Council to deliver the parcel of land located right off Lakeland Drive to the state as soon as possible.
The state deeded the property to the capital city in 1944 to be utilized for “park purposes” only. However, a cigar shop that operated on the same land as the stadium became the centerpiece of controversy surrounding the stadium’s ownership.
Lawmakers cited the presence of Churchill Smoke Shoppe, which has since left the Smith-Wills Stadium grounds, as evidence that the land was not being used for its intended purposes. The business had also been cited by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for selling liquor without a license.
Smith-Wills Stadium has been leased to Overtime Sports owner and baseball aficionado Tim Bennett since 2019. He has converted the 5,200-seat facility into the Hank Aaron Sports Academy and has hosted a myriad of events including Jackson Public School games and the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference tournament.
Bennett and Lumumba have announced plans to partner with two South American cities to bring the Legacy League, a summer developmental venture for college athletes across the globe, to the Jackson stadium next summer.
It is unclear what would happen to the Legacy League if the state regains control of the stadium, though there has been speculation that there is an unspoken effort to run Bennett off from the stadium.
State Senator John Horhn, D-Jackson, insinuated to WLBT that the state’s justification for wanting to take over the stadium is rooted in hypocrisy.
“Over 30 years ago, a bar was established at Smith-Wills Stadium by a legislator who had control of a baseball team at the time. No one raised heck about it [then],” Horhn said to the Jackson TV station. “There’s another quasi-public/private entity that has a lease with the city of Jackson on that property. It’s not for recreational purposes but it’s being allowed to stay there.”
Since it was constructed in 1975, Smith-Wills Stadium has been the home of minor league clubs including the Jackson Mets and the Jackson Generals as well as the independent, non-MLB affiliated Jackson Senators.
The state of Mississippi has not announced any plans for the stadium in the event that the quit claim deed is signed by the city of Jackson. Nonetheless, city officials plan to dispute the attempt by the state to reclaim the property.
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