Commissioners voted to go forward with plans for the proposed new facility on County Farm Road and improvements to the recreation complex on Ware and Yeomans Streets — even as cost concerns have arisen.
Architects Carter and Sloope of Macon will prepare architectural plans and concept designs and cost projections to present at the county.
First district commissioner Troy Mattox said he believes anything the county can do to improve recreation should be done.
“We can make Pierce County more attractive for development and provide opportunities for our young people,” he said.
Even as the county commission approved the go ahead for the plans last Tuesday evening, cost concerns for the project were raised during discussion at the recreation board that morning.
The recreation board met in a retreat at Mossy Pond in Offerman in March and agreed on two proposed plans for the two parks.
The proposed layout for the new rec complex on County Farm Road would hold 10 baseball fields and two smaller practice fields plus parking.
The proposed new layout for the Ware St. complex would have four green spaces for football and soccer where the baseball fields are currently located plus two additional green spaces and additional parking in a new area on the other side of Yeomans St.
While no cost estimates have been given, County Chairman Neal Bennett advised a go slow approach.
“We need to know how much we are talking about here,” he said. “What if it is $10 million. The portion of the sales tax that can be used for recreation won’t cover that.”
The special purpose local option sales tax earmark for recreation is about $1.1 million in the current SPLOST and about $2.35 million in the SPLOST just approved by voters in March.
Board chairman Chris Wright said it is important to get cost estimates.
“I don’t think we can do any planning until we get the plans and get a projection of how much it will cost,” Wright said.
Arington agreed. “We know what we dream of having, but once we have the plans, we’ll be able to see what we can afford,” he said.
Wright has suggested the work be done in phases and that the county look for other funding options, such as bonds and grants, to help pay for the new facilities.
