Residents say federal and local funding remain for Westside youth facility; commissioners hear conflicting accounts

Community members at the Aug. 5 Newton County Board of Commissioners meeting pressed the board to act on the proposed Westside Youth Facility and disputed recent consultant findings and county statements about the project’s funding.

Maya Allen Neely, a Newton County resident speaking for the 13th Federation of Democratic Women, told the board that a consultant was paid to assess the project and that the consultant told the county “the money wasn't available.” Neely said her follow‑up with U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson’s office showed the federal funding is still available. “I received confirmation that the funding was still on the table,” she said, and added that federal rules and a letter from Johnson’s office indicate the $4 million federal appropriation “may only be used on this project and this project alone.” Neely said county staff had also allocated $4.1 million and that voters previously approved $495,000 for the facility during the 2017 SPLOST.

Neely criticized the county for paying a consultant and for allegedly later approving additional consultant funds outside the budget, saying, “We're actually paid a consultant $10,000 to tell us that the money wasn't available. The project wasn't viable and then voted 2 weeks ago to give them another 33,000 outside of the budget.” She urged the board to stop what she called “lies” about the grant status and to move forward to identify a site and proceed with the project before federal deadlines cited in her correspondence.

Her remarks referenced a letter from the congressman’s chief of staff and asserted a deadline of Aug. 31, 2031, to move forward with the grant; she asked that the county follow HUD and federal grant parameters. Neely also said the county had hired consultants and spent funds to survey community preferences but then had not advanced a site or engineering work.

Commissioner responses acknowledged the public concern. Commissioner Jason Cooper (referred to in the meeting as Commissioner Cooper) said he is “passionate about the Westside facility” and described prior attempts to secure land and grant funding. No formal board action on the Westside Youth Facility was recorded at the Aug. 5 meeting; the comments were part of the open‑comment period rather than a staff recommendation or vote.

What the board did not decide: the meeting record does not show a vote to reallocate or relinquish federal funds, nor does it show a binding commitment of the county’s $4.1 million allocation beyond statements reported by commenters. The transcript contains claims from residents and references to correspondence with federal offices; those claims were not independently validated during the meeting and involve federal grant rules and deadlines outside the board’s immediate action.

Next steps: community representatives asked the board to identify a site, confirm federal grant status with HUD, and move the project into design and engineering. The board did not record a formal direction to staff on those specific items during the Aug. 5 meeting.