Several parks in Picayune will see renovation work, including Snyder Park on Beech Street.

City manager Harvey Miller said funding to do that work will come from various grants. While the work will start slowly and involve just about every park in the city, Snyder and Friendship parks may see the most renovation. Miller said the city’s new recreation director, Alvin Carter, will oversee all of that work. Cater also will continue to help out in the code enforcement department.

Snyder park will get a new concession stand, which will include new rest room facilities. The facilities will be handicapped accessible. Playground equipment and basketball goal work is planned for J.P. Johnson Park on Rosa Street, the park on East Canal Street and Ben Taylor Park on Palestine Road.

Friendship Park serves the most people, and it also will see some renovation work, including a concession stand and rest room at the rear of the park, tennis courts and batting cages. Carter said the batting cages will go where the old tennis courts used to be. Work at that park is expected to start sometime within the next 90 days, weather permitting.

Miller said work at Snyder park will take place before that at any of the other parks, and should start in the next couple of weeks.

Even though Friendship Park is used by the most people, other parks may start to get more use. Miller said while Snyder park is already used as a practice field for both baseball and softball, there may come a time that it could be used for league play as every local sports organization continues to grow.

Carter said some of the work will include volunteers, such as the girl scouts who spoke to the city council at a recent meeting. However the city is not seeking public support for funding. During Tuesday’s city council meeting, council member Larry Breland said there has been a misunderstanding about who is conducting the work at Snyder and J.P. Johnson Parks. Breland said funding will be provided by the city. Miller agreed at the meeting and said the city is doing the bulk of the work and is not soliciting any money from the public.

Carter said there are a number of baseball and softball tournaments scheduled to take place at Friendship Park. Two girls’ tournaments are scheduled for May, another is scheduled for June and two boys’ tournaments are scheduled to take place soon.