Rec. board in shock at estimate for complex
PRICE
$17.86 million dollars
A $17.86 million cost estimate for the new County Farm baseball/softball complex and improvements to the Ware/Yeomans Street facilities caused sticker shock last week, but local officials expressed confidence they would be able to get the project to a manageable price.
Architects Carter and Sloope of Macon presented cost projections to board members last week.
The projections estimated the cost of the 10-field baseball/softball complex at $9.9 million including fields, buildings, parking lots and fill dirt to build up low areas on the County Farm Road tract.
The Ware/Yeomans Street project would be split into two phases. The first, a three-field football and soccer facility, is estimated at $3.85 million. It would be an overhaul of the existing park. The second, a five-field football and soccer facility, would cost approximately $3.2 million. It would be located on land acquired by the county several years ago for recreation department expansion. The land is located across Yeomans Street adjacent to the existing facility.
The construction of a new gymnasium at the site would add an additional $910,000.
Recreation board chairman Chris Wright said he was surprised to see the estimate on the project.
“I was just shocked,” he said.
Still, Wright says he thinks the estimate can be pared down to a manageable and — more importantly — affordable project.
“I think we can get it to around $6 million and that will be workable,” he said.
Wright said his discussions with Carter and Sloope revealed they had planned for a “high end estimate” to cover all contingencies. Board member Brad Arington suggested that maybe the board had not properly communicated what they were looking for in terms of the park and the cost.
The recreation board met in a retreat at Arington’s Mossy Pond Lodge in March and agreed on two proposed plans for the two parks, which were the ones submitted to Carter and Sloope for a cost projection.
County Chairman Neal Bennett advised a go slow approach last month when costs were first discussed.
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.
Wright said bonds for the project can be secured and he believes tournaments hosted by the recreation department can generate revenue to be earmarked for the new complex and the renovations.
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.
Board member Anna Saucedo suggested the board pursue the County Farm Road complex first.
Arington said he believed that was the only option.
“If we do Ware/Yeomans first, we are completely sunk for two years. We won’t be able to have any programs for the kids, because we won’t have any place for them to play,” he said. “We’ve got to start somewhere.”
Third district County Commissioner Randy Dixon endorsed moving forward with the project. Dixon is the county’s liaison on the recreation board.
“We’ve been planning this for a long, long, long time,” he said. “We need to do something for our kids.”
