Walking through Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson on Tuesday night, it was obvious that the place had seen better days.

There was some rust on the bleachers. A large chunk of concrete was missing from the roof of the first base dugout, which had narrow, nearly vertical steps that seemed like a death trap for the unwary. The furnishings were hopelessly outdated.

Smith-Wills, though, is not only still standing, it seems to have found a second life as the home of amateur baseball in Jackson. Vicksburg High and Lanier played there on Tuesday night for the second time this season. While that game was going on, Terry and Provine were filing in for the second half of a doubleheader. Belhaven University plays its home games there, as well.

It’s an impressive feat for a stadium that everyone left for dead 10 years ago when the Mississippi Braves moved into town and built the state-of-the-art Trustmark Park less than 15 miles away.

City leaders in Vicksburg should take notes on that. They’ve spent more than a decade drawing up different proposals for a new sports and recreation complex, sometimes even getting to the funding or building stage, before having them fall apart for one reason or another. To date, more than $3 million has been spent on the various projects and not a single pitch has been thrown, nor a single pickle sold at the concession stand.

Meanwhile, the baseball fields at Halls Ferry Park are beginning to show their age. The scoreboards, dugouts, fields and buildings could all stand to be upgraded. Some drainage work wouldn’t hurt, either. If you spit on the grass at some of the fields, you risk a rainout.

The facilities are adequate for day-to-day use. They aren’t falling apart, but they’re not worth bragging on like we used to 10 or 15 years ago, either — and that’s a shame.

While the city has pursued different avenues for a new recreational complex, Halls Ferry has been left in a sort of limbo. No one, understandably, wants to spend a couple of million dollars to give the place a needed overhaul when a new and improved model always seems to be on the horizon. Each time a plan falls through, however, the dilapidation cycle is renewed for a few more years and the existing facilities fall further and further behind their counterparts around the state.

I’m often asked my opinion about a new rec complex. After seeing at least three separate proposals collapse in the past decade, I’ve become a cynic. It’ll be nice if it happens, but I won’t believe it’s a reality until I’m covering my first game out there.

It’ll be nice if the latest proposal gets off the ground and we soon have something to brag about. If it doesn’t, however — and history indicates that’s not a far-fetched outcome — I’m hopeful some money can be spared to spruce up Halls Ferry Park. Much like Smith-Wills, it hasn’t outlived its usefulness. It really just needs a little TLC.

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Ernest Bowker is a sports writer. He can be reached at 601-619-7120 or by email at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com