Baker Engineering presented design plans to Nitro City Council Tuesday night for modifications to Nitro Park.
The estimated $4.5 million project would add lighting to all five baseball fields and include batting cages and river access.
The lights on each field will add a lot of additional playing time, Nitro Mayor Dave Casebolt said.
Nitro hopes to host travel baseball tournaments if the plans come to fruition. The park's size will remain the same, but the configuration will change. The heart of the park will resemble a four-leaf clover with four baseball diamonds. A fifth baseball field, a soccer field, pool and other facilities currently in the park will remain.
"Travel ball is the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry right now," Casebolt said.
Nitro talked with other cities, such as Bridgeport, about how they attract travel baseball tournaments and the economic impact of tournaments in their communities.
A family visiting Bridgeport for a weekend baseball tournament spends an average of $850 while in town, Casebolt said.
That economic impact would be huge for Nitro, he added.
"Nitro is a baseball community," Casebolt said. "This would only make use even stronger in this area."
Infrastructure such as sewage, water and utilities would need to be added to the concession stand, Schoolcraft said.
"Here is the starting point," Baker Engineering Landscape Architect Todd Schoolcraft said. "You have to start somewhere, and it's a good start."
A committee will be assembled at the next council meeting on Nov. 17 to figure out how to move forward the project and explore funding options.
"The citizens of Nitro will decide whether we move forward with this project," Casebolt said.
In other business, council:
n Approved minutes from Oct. 20 meeting
n Approved purchase of new dog for Nitro police
n Approved police Chief Steve Walker's request for modification of Nitro Police Department Civil Service Regulations