Resident offers to lead McBee recreation program as council hears complaints about fields

A McBee resident urged the Town Council May 4 to improve local youth athletics and offered to lead a volunteer effort to revive the recreation department.

“ We really need to step up and give these kids the same opportunities,” resident Ryan Gainey said, describing worn fields, sandspurs, and a lack of fall programming that he said has driven families to neighboring towns.

Council Member Beulah Bolton said she supported Gainey’s offer and suggested the town could reallocate funds — possibly reducing a paid recreation director’s role — and use savings to provide part-time help for the clerk’s office. “If this young man is willing to lead our athletic department and not even ask for a salary … we could use some of that money to have someone help Tisha,” Bolton said.

Mayor John Campolong thanked Gainey and said a small town’s limited personnel and revenue make volunteer involvement important. Council Member A.C. McLeod and Glenn Odom also acknowledged the town lagged behind larger nearby communities and said volunteers had supported programs in neighboring towns.

Why it matters: recreation programming affects youth engagement, local families’ choices about where to live and participate in sports, and can influence small-town quality-of-life decisions the council considers when setting budgets.

Next steps: Council asked staff to provide the recreation policy manual to Bolton and indicated the topic will be discussed at the upcoming budget workshop; no formal personnel changes were made during the May 4 meeting.