Columbia County details Justice Center renovation, new fire stations and Riverwood Park plans

Cassidy Harris, public relations manager for Columbia County, interviewed Steven Prather, the county’s director of capital projects, about ongoing and planned facility projects the county is building with voter-approved funding.

Prather said the Facilities, Design & Construction Department — a six-person team — manages planning, budgeting, design and construction for county facilities, generally overseeing about 15 to 20 projects at any given time. “Most of the projects that we manage are funded by SPLOST, the PFA bond, or the GO bond,” he said. Projects move from in-house master planning and schematic design to consultant-led design, then bidding and construction; design can take “a year or 2 or 3, depending on the complexities of the budget, the site, [and] other restraints,” Prather said.

Why it matters: these projects affect public safety capacity, recreational space and event facilities used by county residents and visitors, and are paid for with voter-approved local sales taxes and bonds.

Current and nearing-completion projects

Prather listed the Justice Center renovation and a new adjacent building as among the county’s larger undertakings. He also said the county is wrapping up a replacement fire station on Gibbs Road that will meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes, includes three apparatus bays and room to park an aerial truck. “This is the first station that we’ve completed in a long time,” Prather said, calling it “a huge improvement.” He said the county is planning additional new and replacement fire stations.

Parks and recreation projects

Prather said the county has multiple park projects in design and renovation phases. He named Riverside and Patriots among parks receiving work and said recent Racquet Center renovations added pickleball facilities. In early design is Riverwood Park, at the corner of Harry McManus and William Few roads, which Prather described as a largely passive park with green space and splash pads and — in response to community interest — mountain biking trails. Athletic fields and additional pickleball courts are under consideration but “we’re working in that initial phase right now on schematic design and budgeting,” he said.

Event and support facilities

Prather said Pollard House is “a special project” with design finishing now; he told Harris, “We’ll start construction this year and we’ll be finished by summertime of next year.” He described the Pollard House as an event center for the public. He also outlined a PAC (performing arts center) support facility planned next to the PAC: a class-A conference and events building with a commercial kitchen, multi-level seating and storage to support events; he said the county hopes it will open in the latter part of 2026.

Funding, staffing and process

Prather emphasized the role of SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) and voter-approved bonds in financing these projects and said his team often works directly with end-user departments such as Parks & Recreation and Fire Rescue to plan needs, budgets and constructability before hiring outside architects and contractors. He described the department’s in-house mix of architects and construction professionals as a cost-saving resource for taxpayers.

Quote and closing

“Thanks…for voting for SPLOST. Obviously, I'm a Columbia County resident and I benefit as well,” Prather said, adding the department is trying to deliver long-lasting facilities and “help taxpayers get the most dollar out of their taxpayer money.”

The interview was presented as part of Columbia County’s A to Z and CC series; no formal board actions or votes were recorded in the transcript of this segment.