AMERICUS — The much anticipated wait is over as the Columns at Boone Park Community Center at 408 Rucker St. is almost fully functional.

The offices and Splash Pad were opened last week, and the Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department hopes to have the two basketball gyms, program rooms and concession areas available by this weekend.

“We are thrilled to have such a fine place to call home and believe the people of Sumter County will be pleased with it,” said SCPRD Executive Director Tim Estes. “So much time and thought and planning went into development of The Columns at Boone Park. I also believe that the citizens will appreciate the fact that this was done within our allocated SPLOST funds.”

The facility has several features including: A professional office complex; a regulation size high school basketball gym and one for kids 8-and-under; a 1/16 mile walking track that encircles the two gyms; five party/program rooms; a coaches education room; and a gymnastics center that is scheduled to be completed Aug. 1.

“Our goals and expectations for this facility and the near future in recreation are to serve more citizens and to do it in a responsible manner,” said Estes. “We’ve provided quality, male-dominated youth sports for a long time. This new center and hopefully some future plans will help us to serve a larger portion of our population.

“I will say, however, that from a managerial point of view, we need to make sure we don’t try to do too much, too fast. We need to take a little time to get acclimated to these new facilities and programs and make sure that everything we do, we do with good quality.”

The SCPRD has a high priority of certifying its coaches, and with the new room, Estes said coaches-to-be can do it at their own pace.

“Now they can come in and view their video lessons at their own leisure and take their certification tests without a full-time staff member conducting an official clinic,” he said. “This will save us time in regards to man hours of the staff and be more flexible for the coaches.”

Estes also hopes having the two gyms will make it better for transportation.

“We feel like we’ll see a good bit of growth in the basketball program since we have our own place to play,” he said. “Our basketball program has been really good for several years, but playing at the Sumter school campuses and at South Georgia Technical College may have hindered some who had transportation issues. Our hope is that the Columns at Boone Park will be more convenient for the citizens, and it will also allow us to strategically schedule games so that we can get more parental involvement.”

The SCPRD had more than 1,300 kids involved in the past year in its different sports, camps and activities. Estes said the community center will benefit a wide group of people.

“We also feel like this new facility will help us serve a portion of the population that we may not have served very well in the past,” he said. “The walking track is a great place for senior citizens to come and get their exercise in a safe, climate controlled environment. We'll now have the facilities for many of our citizens to hold birthday parties and civic gatherings. It opens up a whole new realm of recreation services.”

The master plan was developed in 2006 and the idea for the new facility arrived in 2007. Estes said the project really took off when the Sumter County Board of Commissioners took over in July 2007. The Gertrude Davenport Building was bought in 2008, and renovations began in December.

A fast-pitch softball program for girls and a location to play adult league softball are a couple of priorities of the future for the SCPRD, but as of now, Estes said they are excited about the gymnastics program starting in the fall.

“I’ve never seen the kind of interest that our gymnastics program has generated,” he said. “I expect it to be a very regional program, with participants from Sumter and all surrounding counties. We’re guesstimating at least 200 this fall.