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Jasper County considers gym, fields and citizen committee to design multipurpose recreation facility
Summary
Recreation Director Keldrick Davis asked commissioners for a new gym and at least one football field; county manager reviewed bonding and Stanton Springs South funds as possible financing and commissioners proposed a citizen-staff-commission Recreation Planning Committee and a February follow-up.
Keldrick Davis, Jasper County’s Recreation Director, told commissioners on Jan. 23 that the county lacks adequate indoor and field facilities and is currently dependent on school gyms, which forces late practices and limits programming.
Davis listed top priorities: a basketball and multipurpose gymnasium followed by at least one football field, more baseball fields and a soccer field. He said reliance on school facilities means practices often cannot start until 7:30 p.m. at the middle school and 6 p.m. at Washington Park, which limits scheduling and frustrates parents. “Baseball is big in Jasper County,” he said, adding that all sports should receive similar investment.
County Manager Mike Benton outlined funding options and constraints. He reviewed a recent revenue bond used to fund the sheriff’s office ($10 million project funded roughly 70% by revenue bond, 20% by SPLOST and 10% by impact fees), cited current Stanton Springs South projections and said the county has about $3.4 million in cash on hand. Benton said there could be roughly $14 million in Stanton Springs South funds available to bond against, but that is a major decision.
Commissioner Asher Gray proposed forming a Recreation Planning Committee with commissioners, citizens representing each sport, the recreation director and the county manager to build a concept plan and obtain contractor input. General contractor Mr. Allen urged a design‑bid approach with contractor input early to control costs; Bill Nash recommended considering a construction manager model and consulting Sheriff Pope about his experience on recent projects.
Commissioners also discussed parking and whether the county should lead grading and improvements for shared parking near MKR and softball fields; several commissioners favored county-led site work and a town‑hall meeting to collect citizen input. Chairman Bruce Henry asked for a committee membership list; staff agreed to add recreation planning to the Feb. 2 meeting agenda for further discussion.
No funding decision was made at the Jan. 23 work session.
