Oconee County outlines Heritage Park upgrades and large Dawson Park gym plan; SPLOST continuation planned for 2026

County officials described multiple park projects under design or procurement and told residents the county plans to ask voters to continue its Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) in May 2026.

At Heritage Park, county staff said value‑engineering is underway with planned improvements that include an arena and footing upgrades, additional water sources, fencing, trail improvements and investigation of separated bike and horse trails. Officials said additions will include parking and public restrooms and that those capital improvements will be paid from the county capital fund.

The county said the Maccone Veteran Park tennis project is SPLOST 21 funded and currently on bid; staff held a pre‑bid meeting and extended the schedule to allow time to respond to questions, with a bid close date posted for Oct. 30, county staff said.

Wendell and Betty Dawson Park is in engineering for fields, stormwater, internal roadways and a site pad for a gymnasium. County staff described a concept that would accommodate eight full basketball courts (which county staff estimated would create roughly a 100,000‑square‑foot building) and noted the gym location has shifted on the site plan to reduce the visual impact on the park’s entrance. County staff said field work would be funded through SPLOST 21 and that final decisions about the gym’s construction and funding will come to the board after cost estimates are complete.

Officials said the county is also examining operational models for the park, splitting field operations from gym operations, and intends to offset operational costs through a sports‑tourism component tied to tournaments and events.

“Right now we’re also working on the operational cost of the park… Our goal is gonna be to offset some of that cost with [a] sports tourism component to the park,” a county official said.

Members of the public supported the emphasis on sports tourism during the town hall. Dan McGee, a resident of Loch Lomond Circle, congratulated park staff on obtaining a U.S. Tennis Association grant and urged that sport‑tourism funds be spent under county oversight rather than solely by the Industrial Development Authority (IDA).

“Those tournaments are not one‑day tournaments. It’s two, two‑and‑a‑half day tournaments… If you have the hotels, you have the restaurants,” McGee said. He also urged that county staff prioritize pedestrian safety projects near schools when possible.

County officials said continuing SPLOST in May 2026 is critical to fund multiple county priorities, including paying off certain county debt, farmland‑preservation programs, fire rescue and medical equipment, historic‑structure maintenance and public safety radio system upgrades. The officials noted that sheriff’s vehicles are funded through SPLOST funding streams currently.

Details on total projected SPLOST revenue, individual project costs for the proposed continuation, and a specific campaign plan were not provided at the meeting; officials said they will compile potential project lists and pursue public engagement over the coming months.