(The Pierce County Recreation Board discussed and/or voted on the following during their monthly meeting November 5.)
New recreation complex: Recreation board chairman Chris Wright reported he hopes the new recreation complex will be ready for bid in the first quarter of 2026. Architect Carter and Slope have been working on plans for the proposed new recreation complex and the renovations to the Ware Street Park for several months. Wright stressed to the public that the new Rec complex is not the reason for the proposed increase in both the county’s budget and millage rate. “Funding for the recreation complex comes from the sales tax and other sources,” he said. “We don’t have any control over the county’s budget.” The chairman said he and County Manager Raphel Maddox would be talking with CSX Railroad about obtaining possible grant funds for the new complex.
Update on Tiger Field project: Wright said the new lighting at Tiger Field has been great this season. He reported additional phases to include paving the track and improving parking will be done in the future, though some parts will be delayed until after the SE Cancer Walk in the spring. The walk will be held at the track. The county received a $343,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Matching Grant for the work.
Director’s report: Director Maureen Brown gave a wrap up of the fall sports season. She announced winners of the Buddy Bowl football, soccer and volleyball championships. She also reported total revenue from fall sports was $30,845 including $21,875 in gate receipts and $8,970 from concessions. Brown also announced upcoming district Georgia Recreation and parks Association district tournaments. The football tournament will be in Appling County Nov. 13-15. The soccer tournament will be in Wayne County Nov. 15-17 and the girls flag football tournament will be in Long County Nov. 18. She also shared results of the district volleyball tournament held Oct. 24-25 in South Bryan County. The 8 and under girls will compete at state Nov. 15 in Jackson County. Brown also announced the Mickey Katkaveck Classic which was held in Waycross last weekend and the 5th annual Jitterbug soccer competition held in Brantley County last weekend. Brown also gave a report on the upcoming basketball season. Thirty-six have signed up so far. Deadline for registration is Dec. 1. Games will begin in January, 2026.
Meeting time change: The board decided to change its meeting time from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. beginning next month.
Next meeting: The next monthly meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, December 2, at the Southeast Georgia Regional Agriculture Center (SEGARAC) on College Avenue.
