Community Center underway in Sumter

BECKY HOLLAND
The Americus Times-Recorder

AMERICUS January 12, 2009 10:46 pm

— When Tim Estes, Sumter County Parks and Recreation director, first arrived on the scene in 1994, he will tell you that the idea of a full indoor community center was just a dream, and never did he expect it to become a reality.
But a reality it is becoming thanks to the $1.4 million SPLOST (special purpose local option sales tax) monies earmarked the Sumter County Recreation Department for 2009.
The new community center, which is being built through the renovation of the Boone Park building on Rucker Street, will house not only the administrative offices, a high school type basketball court, locker rooms and a gymnastic center, but an indoor walking track, as well as an outdoor splash area.
Estes is excited. Walking through the building, which once housed the Gertrude Davenport plant, where clothes were manufactured for the Tog Shop, he points out different aspects of the building, vividly describing the equipment and the room so much that all one would have to do is close their eyes and see it, instead of the beams and cross ties.
“Lose and Associates did a comprehensive master plan for the County, and one of the number one requests for the residents was for a community center,” explained Estes.
“There was a real need for a large indoor facility,” Estes said as he paused to look at the architectural plans while a well supervised workforce of local inmates busily set forth in the construction process.
“I had hopes that this would happen, but I really never expected it to happen so quickly. The voters decided where the 2009 SPLOST money would go, and what we would receive,” he said.
The building is actually only going to cost $1.1 million in funds, and this, according to Estes, “includes the equipment and everything inside the center.”
“There will be 33,000 sq. ft. of gymnastic/program area in the building, including a gym, and 28,000 sq. ft. of office space. As far as we know, there is not a public gymnastics training area within 50 miles of us, and we felt like this would be a good program for us to have, since the community expressed a need for us to offer more programs for girls. Though gymnastics is for anyone, gymnastics is largely dominated by girls.”
The plans are to hire a full-time gymnastics coordinator who can, as Estes stated, “operate a year-round gymnastics program, which we think can generate enough revenue to cover the personnel and other costs.
“I think the community center will have a positive economic impact on the community as we will be hosting basketball tourneys, gymnastic competitions and more, and these events will bring in people, and these people will be staying in our hotels, shopping in our stores and eating in our restaurants.
“With the exception of Tift County, in the Georgia Parks and Recreation Department District Three division, which we are in, there is not another community center of this size,” he said.
There will be program rooms available for rental for birthday parties, meetings, conferences and family reunions, and an indoor walking track as mentioned earlier, “which was a need expressed by many of our adults.”
The track will be 1/16th of a mile long around the outside area of the gymnasium-indoors.
“We’re not sure right now what our hours will be, but we are thinking of opening an hour earlier than we do now, and staying open until 8 or 9 in the evenings, so that the public can make use of the center.”
Estes was especially excited about the new splash pad which will be adjacent to the center, for all in the community utilize, at an affordable cost.
“The splash pad will has zero depth to it, in-ground fountains and above ground water tools, water buckets, and it will be easier to maintain, with an attendant on duty who is certified in CPR and first aid. Plus, there is a 450-gallon tank on hand which will keep the water going.”
Estes paused, eyeing the center, “We wanted to be able to provide an affordable, indoor facility that can be used properly, and help to generate funds for the community, as well as provide citizens a safe place to play.
“All of our programs in 2008 were met at or under the budget, and I really think our managers should get credit for that. They didn’t over-purchase, and they did a good job bidding out equipment and uniforms. Because of that we were able to maintain, as well as have monies left over to be utilized in other ways.
“We want to maintain our level of programs, get the community center operational,” Estes said, adding, “and we are pretty satisfied with all of our teams’ level of play on the local level, and state, though we would like to bring our baseball program up to the next level.”
According to Estes, the proposed finish date for the new community center will be around the first of June.
For more information about the community center or the Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department, call 924-4878 or visit their website at www.scprd.org.