CANTON — Baseball fields are closer to becoming a reality in the city of Canton.

On Thursday, the Canton City Council approved moving forward with the proposed changes to its Etowah River Park, which would be paid for using funds from the $90 million Cherokee County parks bond.

The changes include moving four proposed baseball fields from the Etowah Park site and building them on roughly 50 acres of land adjacent to Kenny Askew Park off Univeter Road.

The new baseball complex location would cost about $2.7 million and in addition to the fields, would include a 1,200-square-foot concessions area and restroom building, 240 paved parking spaces, bleachers, benches and trash receptacles, a free-standing scoring stand at each field, chain-link dugouts and tournament-level sports field lighting.

The proposal leaves the Etowah River Park with mostly passive features, including a proposed half-mile American Disabilities Act-accessible concrete walking path around multi-purpose fields, one 1,100 square-foot concessions and restroom building, 207 paved parking spaces, ADA-accessible concrete walking paths and sidewalks connecting to an event lawn and to the concession building.

The price tag for the park, which is slated to be developed at the end of Brown Industrial Parkway off Highway 20, near exit 19 off Interstate 575, is set at roughly $2.1 million.

The council also approved a contract with Mike Pietsch of Consulting Services Inc. to assist the city in recommending areas of improvement and representing the city in its official ISO review.

The contract amount is not to exceed $29,500.

The Canton Fire Department expects to be notified this year that it will undergo an Insurance Service Office review and is in danger of losing its ISO rating of 4.

The consultant will identify areas the city needs to improve before it undergoes its review.

The city of Woodstock retained its ISO rating of 3 late last year and Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services was reviewed in December.

Council members also:

* Heard from Zach Kell, owner of Downtown Kitchen and Goin’ Coastal, who argued for the city to amend its alcohol ordinance to allow alcohol served during special events to be consumed throughout the event area and not just within a defined space;

* Approved contributing $5,000 towards radKIDS initiative;

* Approved amending its water billing ordinance, which establishes a fee mechanism of charging users in an amount necessary to provide adequate support of the water and sewer system;

* Approved amending its contract with Northside Hospital, which clarifies that impact fee reimbursements would be calculated each year;

* Tabled consideration of a leak adjustment policy; and

* Tabled a partnership proposal with Lilburn-based Forum Municipal Development Services, LLC, to help the Cherokee County Department of Family and Children Services move into a new building until the March 1 work session.

Councilman Bob Rush was not present.