The fight over Smith-Wills Stadium is in limbo.
The Attorney General and city of Jackson have been sparring in Hinds County Chancery Court over the city's lease of Smith-Wills Stadium from the state of Mississippi.
The state leased the Smith-Wills Stadium property to Jackson in 1944. The deed stated the land would revert back to the state if it was not used for "park purposes." The city built the stadium in the 1970's with federal funds. Baseball teams came and went until the city leased the stadium to Tim Bennett's Kusche Sports Group, LLC in 2019.
Although baseball games have taken place at Smith-Wills, Bennett subleased a section of the stadium to a cigar bar. The bar had a beer and light alcohol permit from the state but no liquor license. ABC cited the bar for selling liquor without a license earlier this year. Bennett also sub-leased the parking lot to the V.A. for $360,000 per yer.
The legislature passed a bond bill this year with a provision that directed the Attorney General to sue to take back ownership of the property. Proponents of the clawback argued the property was no longer used for park purposes.
General Fitch directed the city to return the deed to the state by September 30, 2024. The city sued to block the enforcement of the reverter clause in Hinds County Chancery Court on September 28, 2024. The Attorney General filed a counter-claim against Jackson in October 2024, asking the Court to rule the city violated the lease agreement as the Smith-Wills was not being used for "park purposes."
The lawsuit is in docket purgatory. The Attorney General subpoenaed several parties for deposition in April. However, no action has occurred in the case in six months. Talk about some mess about some mess.
Special Assistant Attorney General Rex Shannon represents the state while Samuel Begley, Esq. and City Attorney Drew Martin represent the city of Jackson. The case is assigned to Chancellor Dewayne Thomas.
Will anything happen in this case? Who knows.
5 comments:
To me, the bigger question is the seedy parking lease with the VA. $360,000 per year? This needs some sunshine. Something smells.
Do you think there is a chance that “pay backs” are involved
probably not, because this is Jackson ms.
Does Chowke still get his cut?
Yep, that's about $1,000 per day. Maybe lots of palms to grease.
Drive by there everyday and there is rarely more than a handful of cars parked in the designated area. Our damn tax dollars wasted on a solution that is basically unused. Bennett is making big bank on the deal. No way such lucrative low effort largess wasn't/isn't shared with certain others.
Post a Comment